"Our Brand Is Crisis" - Reviews

[belelmo27cien]

The film has just had the world premiere at TIFF and the early responses have not been so good as sbfanargentina posted in the other thread:

sandrabullockfans.proboards.com/post/4102

The Wrap posted the first longer reviews, which is actually good, but pessimistic about the commercial success.

www.thewrap.com/toronto-our-brand-is-crisis-lets-sandra-bullock-show-smarts-humor-politics/


This taut’s film only problem is that these kinds of small dramas often get lost in theatrical release

“Our Brand Is Crisis” is one of those smart political dramas that you wish would resonate with American audience, but often only do so over time.

The prescient “Wag the Dog,” the incisive “Primary Colors” both opened to tepid receptions and weak box office, but over time have held up and grown cult audiences.

“Our Brand Is Crisis,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday night, may well turn out to follow a similar path. In the film directed by David Gordon Green, Sandra Bullock plays ‘Calamity Jane’ Bodine, a political consultant for hire, working on presidential campaign in Bolivia.

With her bleached blonde hair and a f— you facial expression, Jane is one smart, tough, cynical and angry politico for hire. She quotes Warren Beatty and reads Nietzsche. (And Joseph Goebbels, as it turns out.) Down in South America, she’s working for the dark horse candidate, who isn’t a particularly nice guy (played by Joaquim de Almeida).

Her nemesis is another political operative for hire, working for the other side, Pat Candy (perfectly cast as Billy Bob Thornton). The two spar and exchange sexual innuendo while they play nasty pranks on one another. In one particularly notable moment, the two sides race their campaign buses, and when Jane overtakes her opponent, she moons him.

The film is based on a documentary by Rachel Boynton about real-life political consultants Bob Shrum, Tad Devine and James Carville who worked on the Bolivian presidential campaign. Green took pains to say the film had been fictionalized, though Clooney said they got calls from the former candidates during shooting. The film languished in development for eight years, Clooney said, until Bullock called and said she wanted to play the main role, written for a man. Clooney and his partner Grant Heslov immediately agreed.

Bullock’s razor-sharp comic timing and deadpan expression works well with the dialogue in a screenplay by Peter Straughan. The room exploded in applause with Bullock getting a “Brava! Brava!” from the Toronto audience.

The title stems from Jane’s approach to winning votes, which involves scaring the Bolivian electorate into believing that they were in a full-blown crisis that only her candidate could manage.

But the process of delving into the Bolivian culture eventually pierces through Jane’s hardened exterior – and reminds her why she got into politics in the first place.

It’s a taut, well-made piece. The only problem is that these kinds of small dramas – which only producers like George Clooney get to make anymore at big studios like Warner Bros – often get lost in theatrical release.

In politics, she says, “getting hurt is unavoidable.” True too for smart political dramas that depict their world.

[Gabi]

The Guardian review:
www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/11/our-brand-is-crisis-review-sandra-bullock-adds-gravity-to-bolivian-political-satire

3 out of 5 stars.
Positive about her performance but not so much about the movie.
I feel like this is how most of the reviews will be.

PS: Bel, shoud I post the full review here or just the link is fine?

[belelmo27cien]

Thanks! I agree, the most reviews will probably be like The Guardian's. Maybe Golden Globes...

PS: gps13, full review or the link, whichever would be fine! I often just post the link when I don't have time.

[belelmo27cien]

Variety review -- Mixed to Negative to the film, Positive to Sandy (I think. This review is not very clear to me...)

variety.com/2015/film/reviews/our-brand-is-crisis-film-review-1201591362/

(I don't post the story parts)

So, Hollywood, you say you want strong roles for women? How about an American campaign strategist who doesn’t hesitate to stand up to or stare down the candidate poised to become Bolivia’s next president? It’s not the next Erin Brockovich (it’s one thing to litigate carcinogens out of the local water supply and quite another to pump toxins into the system), but as played by Sandra Bullock, “Our Brand Is Crisis” political spin doctor Jane Bodine is easily one of the best female roles of the last 10 years — which makes it all the more satisfying to learn that it was originally written for “Gravity” co-star George Clooney. The movie itself is something more of a mess, though designedly so, fictionalizing the incursion of U.S. marketing tactics in the 2002 Bolivian election, first captured in Rachel Boynton’s documentary of the same name.

Ironically enough, the thing this smarthouse satire could use most is a good old campaign of its own (the awards-season kind, naturally) to raise the film’s profile, especially given audiences’ typically allergic reaction to anything remotely political in theaters. Bullock certainly deserves the support, drawing upon both her serious and comedic sides to create a character who might as well have been plucked directly from the world of studio filmmaking: Coffee jittery and nicotine deprived, Bodine embodies all the hallmarks of a distaff power agent or studio chief. With her aggressively styled hair, Hollywood shades and entitlement attitude, she’s either intimidatingly fabulous or fabulously intimidating, but either way, others seem to shrink in her presence. If Bolivia were a dictatorship, she could be its Eva Peron.

(Story)

In Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow’s new Brian De Palma documentary, the director tells a story about how Columbia exec Dawn Steel flew to Thailand, to visit the set, took one look and caught the next plane home. That’s the sort of character Bullock seems to be channeling here: She wields the power, but is also susceptible to the elements, hit with altitude sickness and forced to drag around an oxygen tank from the moment she lands in Bolivia. It’s a performance that depends just as much on body language as it does old-fashioned pratfalls (slippery staircases and collapsing folding chairs), though the key is watching how Bodine’s mind works: At times, she clearly doesn’t have a clue how to improve the situation, but when the ideas come, she’s a force to be reckoned with — every bit the match for the “Wag the Dog’s” string-pullers or “In the Loop’s” Peter Capaldi.

While TV viewers are spoiled these days by “Veep” showrunner Armando Iannucci’s rapid-fire brand of political satire, “Our Brand Is Crisis” screenwriter Peter Straughan (“The Men Who Stare at Goats,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) is just about the next best thing moviegoers can find. This particular screenplay proves a bit light on actual dialogue, relying instead on a litany of chestnuts cribbed from “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations,” as Bodine and Candy both recycle their all-time favorite politically themed zingers. Even so, Straughan’s a whiz when it comes to inventing outrageous confrontations, including a post-debate rotten-egging that inspires Bodine’s crisis-peddling strategy and a cliffside game of chicken between rival campaign buses.

By sticking to the half-true details of an actual election (in reality, Carville’s candidate won), Green and company put an artificial ceiling on the pic’s satire potential. Had they fictionalized the country, this could have joined the ranks of “Duck Soup” or “The Mouse That Roared,” but instead, we find ourselves wondering why we should care about a rigged banana-republic election when they could have taken on the electoral system back home — except that things work virtually the same way in the States, making Bolivia a synecdoche for a more systemic problem with democracy. Apart from a few amusing detours, the critique builds exactly as one might expect, with Green (who delivers his most professional work since “Pineapple Express”) overreaching somewhat in the final stretch, attempting to deliver a “Medium Cool”-style moral commentary in which Bodine suddenly decides to grow a conscience.

[belelmo27cien]

Deadline review - very positive

Well, this is from that Pete Hammond, who has been a great supporter of Sandy.

deadline.com/2015/09/sandra-bullock-george-clooney-oscars-toronto-film-festival-1201522372/

Sandra Bullock is back in the Oscar race, no question. After great response to the World Premiere screening Friday night of Our Brand Is Crisis at the Toronto International Film Festival, you can definitely count the Blind Side Academy Award winner in on the race again as burnt out, but determined political consultant Calamity Jane Bodine who goes to Bolivia to try and boost the chances of a last place presidential candidate, Bullock nails this role in every way. I think it ranks as her finest performance ever, one that delicately plays with tone in switching on a dime from almost farcical to serious and back again. Having caught an earlier rough cut of the film I have been waiting a while to have the chance to sign2015 Toronto International Film Festival Bullock’s praises in this role and in this movie which is a sharp a political satire we have seen in many years. And the timing is uncanny.

Originally there was discussion between the distributor Warner Bros and Participant Media about when would be the right time to release this film – this fall in time for awards season or next year in the heat of the presidential race. I might have picked the latter but then Donald Trump happened and suddenly the election was never going to get hotter that it is right now. “Timing is everything , ” Bullock laughed when we spoke at the after screening party at Montecito Restaurant. “And of course we planned it all this way (not). It may be frightening but Donald Trump is the only one who is really unfiltered, telling the truth as he sees it and that fits right into what our movie is about.” Our Brand Is Crisis lifts the veil on the whole political campaign process. Bullock points out when she read the script it was written for a man to play as the character in the documentary which inspired the movie was none other than famed Clinton consultant James Carville. But after co-starring with producer George Clooney in Gravity , she called him and producing partner Grant Heslov and suggested she would be interested in playing the role if they retooled it a bit for a woman to play. It is the perfect example of how the lines are being blurred in today’s society. Warners’ Sue Kroll chimed in that after seeing the film she can’t imagine anyone other than Bullock in that part. The new trailer for the film took a lot a work according to Kroll in getting just the right flavor of the film, but she and her team certainly finally succeeded. The studio’s Greg Silverman was also taking in the strong reaction and happy about their entire slate this Fall which consists of eight original films, not a sequel in sight. That is certainly against the grain but I admire them for trying to connect with audiences with new material. And this film, directed by David Gordon Green from a script by Peter Straughan is sharp as a tack. It should play well with moviegoers who seem to be starved for political conversation much earlier than in past Presidential election cycles. “We actually did not want to release it in the heat of a presidential election next year, ” Clooney told me at the same party. “I think people will just be sick of it all by then. So it is fortuitous that we can get this out now, this Fall.” He said he didn’t really want to play the part so soon after doing something similar in The Ides Of March. He was thrilled though to have Bullock take it on. I have talked to this star/director/producer/writer many times at events like these , but he seemed particularly jazzed by the Toronto reception. Smart political satire is hard to come by , and this one about a dogged rivalry between two political consultants determined only to beat each other (Billy Bob Thornton is great playing her main nemesis) really tells it like it is about the whole phony political process, even though it takes place in a foreign country. The film most reminded me of other pictures in the genre including 1972’s brilliant Oscar winning Robert Redford starrer, The Candidate or a film like Wag The Dog. Bullock is hoping audiences will take to the film when it opens October 30, but she’s cautious. “We’ll see,” she said well aware that politically themed films aren’t always the easiest to sell. But in this case at least , I think she’s riding a real winner.

[belelmo27cien]

Hollywood Repoter -- Rather negative, I think

www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/brand-is-crisis/review/820885


Indiewire - positive for Sandy, negative for screenplay

www.indiewire.com/article/toronto-review-sandra-bullock-carries-our-brand-is-crisis-another-surprise-from-david-gordon-green-20150912


MashableAsia - positive for Sandy

mashable.com/2015/09/12/our-brand-is-crisis-review-sandra-bullock-seems-incapable-of-doing-wrong/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link#sMh5iO897qk9

Variety -- Very positive for Sandy (I thought I've posted this one but anyway...)

ht.ly/341B30

Warner Bros.’ “Our Brand is Crisis” is about politics-as-big-business, the pervasiveness of marketing/spin and about personal redemption — but what it’s really about is star power. Sandra Bullock joins the Oscar race with a terrific performance that features both big, juicy scenes and quiet moments. Best of all, it reminds that she is that rare star-actor who is capable of showing new layers of talent with each film.

“Our Brand” screened at the Princess of Wales theater on the second night of the Toronto Fest, and Bullock told the audience that the role had been written for a man, but she asked producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov to consider changing it to a woman. “George could have played the role, but maybe I could have played it better,” she deadpanned.

Clooney added that the shift in the script was surprisingly easy, and “it made us realize that there could be a lot more (male-written) roles out there” that could/should be rescripted for women.

Clooney and Heslov had seen the Rachel Boynton-directed 2005 documentary of the same title, and commissioned Peter Straughan to write a script that fictionalized the events, but retained the premise of U.S. political strategists working on a Bolivian election. Once Bullock got the eight-years-in-development project in motion, they signed on director David Gordon Green.

Green said he likes working with actors, and enjoyed their improvs, such as on a bus sequence. An audience member asked if the rear end sticking out of the bus window was really Bullock’s, which inspired some quips from her and Clooney on the topic of tushes, joking that it was really his bum doubling for hers.

In contrast with past years, the best actress Oscar race has more serious contenders than usual, but Bullock’s stellar turn is certainly a hot contender. The film opens domestically in October.

[Jorgelee Walker]

Good news, bad news.

There are more negative reviews than positive ones, but all of them without exception speak highly about our girl's job.

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/our_brand_is_crisis_2016/

Gps was right about the general (atm) reviews of "Our Brand is crisis".

[belelmo27cien]

Firstshowing.net Review: B

www.firstshowing.net/2015/tiff-2015-sandra-bullock-in-david-gordon-greens-our-brand-is-crisis/

Caught in an ambiguous middle ground between a political drama and comedy, the new film Our Brand Is Crisis manages to balance itself adequately for most of its running time. Most of the film's charm and power however is due to actress Sandra Bullock, who is clearly gunning for her second Oscar. Bullock commands the lead role originally intended for male counterpart (and the film's producer) George Clooney as a tough-talking political strategist who has seen better days and is now staging an overdue comeback. Inspired by Rachel Boynton's documentary of the same name, Our Brand Is Crisis has all the story beats and rhythms of many underdog movies but the cast and direction are what set it apart from the clutter.

The fictional lead character of Jane Bodine plays to Bullock's strengths - loud, unapologetic and able to pull a last minute save when she has to. The character has been loosely based on James Carville, which is rather funny because Jane's opposition in the film is played with a Carville-twang and shaved head by Billy Bob Thronton. Astute movie fans will remember than Thornton also played the fictionalized Carville in Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998) which makes this film's comparison even weirder.

The thrust of Our Brand Is Crisis is built around an early 2000's Bolivian presidential election that pits Bullock's ragged underdog Pedro Castillo (played by Joaquim De Almeida) versus Thornton's first place candidate. Castillo is so far behind in the polls that it's a joke he's still running but backing longshots is Jane's specialty and she always works best when the gloves are off. The cutthroat political tactics of the real world have been watered down for this fictionalized version but it's still entertaining to see both sides waging constitutional war on each other.

The film's direction is by indie auteur David Gordon Green, a man who is no stranger to coloring outside the lines. His resume is filled with small character films (Undertow, Joe, Prince Avalanche) as well as big-budget Hollywood fare (Pineapple Express, Your Highness) so he is obviously comfortable on either end of the budgetary scale. Our Brand Is Crisis seems to fall somewhere in the middle, a movie that is funny and smart enough for adults but without the padded excess of a big Hollywood blockbuster.

The film is weakest in its finale with Peter Straughan's screenplay falling victim to Hollywood convenience and easy resolution. But for the most part, Our Brand Is Crisis plays it straight and entertains especially with Bullock in the driver's seat. It's a big, flashy role for her and immediate awards talk is definitely warranted. This is Bullock's best dramatic role ever and it deserves mainstream attention, even if she is slightly betrayed by the script's sometimes straightforward political approach.

Marco's TIFF 2015 Rating: B

[snajper]

I just came back form work and I google "Sandra Bullock" and a lot of new reviews came out. A lot are good only few are beloved average but ALL I mean ALL of them say that Sandra Bullck is great, phenomenal etc. A love it