The Congressman (2016)

A determined Congressman, unswayed by political betrayal, a vicious media attack and a recent divorce, strives to maintain his dignity and protect a small fishing village from commercial corruption.

Directors:

Jared Martin, Robert J. Mrazek (as Robert Mrazek)

Writer:

Robert J. Mrazek (as Robert Mrazek)

Stars:

Treat Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Ryan Merriman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Treat Williams	...	Charlie Winship
Elizabeth Marvel	...	Rae Blanchard
Ryan Merriman	...	Jared Barnes
Chris Conroy	...	Ben
George Hamilton	...	Laird Devereaux
Marshall Bell	...	Sherm Hawkins
Fritz Weaver	...	Harlan Lantier
Jayne Atkinson	...	Casey Winship
Kim Blacklock	...	Matty Pierce
Josh Mostel	...	Bernie Gimpel
Cindy Lentol	...	Holly Dean
Miriam A. Hyman	...	Abigail Ross
Alison Wachtler	...	Deidre Macavoy
Alexander Cook	...	Washington Lobbyist
Bradley J. Van Dussen	...	Gym Congressman

Storyline

Maine Congressman Charlie Winship has had a bad day. After being caught on video failing to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance, he knocks out another House member, confronts his angry ex-wife, and faces denunciation by the media for attacking one of the most cherished patriotic symbols in America. As his life spirals out of control, Charlie embarks on a journey to a remote island in the Atlantic whose eccentric inhabitants are in the middle of a shooting war over their fishing grounds. Treat Williams stars as The Congressman in this humorous and moving film that raises the important question of what it means to be an American.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and brief sexual material

Did You Know?

Trivia

One year after the end of principal photography a skeleton crew of Arcidiacano, Martin, editor Johanna Geibelhaus and star Treat Williams returned to the island in mid October to shoot the sequence of Charlie wandering through the village including the shot of him contemplating the star crammed night sky over the harbor.

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Goofs

Catatonk Island is supposed to be 20 miles off-shore. This can not be true. There is a scene from the island that shows the mainland in the distance across the ocean. Mohegan Island, where the film was actually shot, is 12 nautical miles (22 km) off-shore, just within the critical distance for being able to see "over" the horizon when viewed from the elevated cliffs. If the island was truly 20 miles off-shore one would not see the mainland just ocean.

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Quotes

Charlie Winship: You know when we're young we think we're going all the way to the top. And then somewhere along the journey most men look up at the summit and they realize that they are never going to get there. So... they stop to enjoy the view.

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Soundtracks

This Is The Time
End Credits Song
Written by Thomas Hien & Wolf Wolff
Performed by Thomas Hien
Courtesy of Defend Music

User Reviews

Crabs in me Lobster Pot

I won't go into where and when I watched this film, and in what town and theatre I parked my derrière but I did check this film out beforehand at IMDb.

The obvious shill reviews at the time was an incredible 5 out of 6 which is usually a red flag and a valid reason to exit the turkey pen. However against all basic instincts I grabbed a copy and watched it.

First of all the good signs, I never skipped through it, and I watched it all until the credits rolled. May not be a good indication to you but it is to me.

The storyline is well lets just say it's not taxing, I can safely say you don't need a special talent to come up with that one.

The acting was good Treat Williams especially, but to be honest George Hamilton was the only person I thought was out of place. What possessed the director when he signed him up heaven knows, the only reason I could think of maybe it was to attract the granny fan base.

On my scale it's a 6/10 not a penny more and not a penny less, a nice easy going film which questions ambition over personal relationships.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Catatonk Blues

Filming Locations:

Maine, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,260, 1 May 2016

Gross USA:

$71,451

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,451

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Color:

Color (digital) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1