This movie is not just a comedy. It is a thriller and also a philosophical commentary on American politics.
The main problem I had with the movie was I was always aware I was watching a movie. This almost never happens for me. I usually have no problem at all suspending disbelief. Except in the scenes with Laura Linney/Eleanor Green, I was asking myself questions like, "Wow look at all the extras. How did they afford an scene after scene with more extras than Ben Hur?", or "I wonder how they got James Carville to poke fun at the Democratic party". "Hey, that's Chris Matthews. I wonder if CNN had to vet the script." "I wonder if the oval office is the real thing or just a set?" Part of the problem is awkward dialog where people make professorly political commentary, quoting Mark Twain. It just does not ring true to character.
It pulls punches by skewering no actual politicians. Even the arch villain Delacroy Voting Machines, commits a crime quite different from the crime that Diebold Voting Machines of reality Delacroy is based on.
I was infuriated that nobody noticed the obvious voting machine fraud when the Robin Williams/Dobbs character won the election after polling only 10% in polls and exit polls. They did not even point out that nobody noticed. That is perhaps too subtle a joke for the American viewer who overlooked similar Diebold fraud in the 2004 election.
The movie's message is dishonest. It suggests there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats, and that there is no hope voting independent. It thus counsels despair and letting the bad guys run things, while pretending to have a "give 'em hell" message.
"Politicians are like diapers. You have to change them often, and for the same reason."
The main problem I had with the movie was I was always aware I was watching a movie. This almost never happens for me. I usually have no problem at all suspending disbelief. Except in the scenes with Laura Linney/Eleanor Green, I was asking myself questions like, "Wow look at all the extras. How did they afford an scene after scene with more extras than Ben Hur?", or "I wonder how they got James Carville to poke fun at the Democratic party". "Hey, that's Chris Matthews. I wonder if CNN had to vet the script." "I wonder if the oval office is the real thing or just a set?" Part of the problem is awkward dialog where people make professorly political commentary, quoting Mark Twain. It just does not ring true to character.
It pulls punches by skewering no actual politicians. Even the arch villain Delacroy Voting Machines, commits a crime quite different from the crime that Diebold Voting Machines of reality Delacroy is based on.
I was infuriated that nobody noticed the obvious voting machine fraud when the Robin Williams/Dobbs character won the election after polling only 10% in polls and exit polls. They did not even point out that nobody noticed. That is perhaps too subtle a joke for the American viewer who overlooked similar Diebold fraud in the 2004 election.
The movie's message is dishonest. It suggests there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats, and that there is no hope voting independent. It thus counsels despair and letting the bad guys run things, while pretending to have a "give 'em hell" message.
"Politicians are like diapers. You have to change them often, and for the same reason."