[rating=5.00]
In a way, Our Brand is Crisis is not dissimilar from the kid on the playground who knows they could do great things on the school soccer team, but who also lacks the courage to try out—all of their potential becomes moot at the hands of their inaction, and instead of greatness they fade into the background. And so it is with Our Brand is Crisis, a film which sits just abut the edge of greatness without ever risking going over. Instead of being the great film it almost is, it wrings its hands in trepidation, taking unsure steps into well-trod territory, and backing off from adding anything new to the conversation.
The title and concept may be familiar to some as the film takes both from the 2005 documentary that explored the role of American political campaign tactics and marketing on the 2002 Bolivian presidential election, and the disastrous results that followed. This version’s first mistake comes at the fictionalization of the real life proceedings. Whereas the documentary showcased the fight between Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Evo Morales, this film creates fictional caricatures as stand-ins for reality. Odd, considering how compelling the true story is, as well as how closely this film follows that.
As a quick overview of real life, in 2002 socialist candidate Morales was winning the hearts and minds of the Bolivian electorate, much to the chagrin of establishment shoe-in de Lozada, who brought in American political consulting firm GCS to help bolster his numbers. De Lozada, thanks to their work, ends up coming from behind to win the election causing outrage among the country’s indigenous peoples and impoverished citizens. A year after his election, protests against several of his decisions turned deadly, with Bolivian soldiers clashing with citizens and resulting in the deaths of 67, as well as de Lozada’s resignation and exile.
This is the film I expected with Our Brand is Crisis. What I got instead is a version of the story that’s been defanged and declawed, leaving it a hollow imitation of reality that lacks nuance and treats its subject as a cause for comedy. Its attempts at satire work on one level and the film is quite often very funny, but I was left with the feeling that my laughter was at the expense of problems being faced by real people—as if foreign interference in the affairs of other countries is a recipe for comedic gold.
However, politics and the political process are, indeed, ripe for the picking, and to that end the pickings are good. Sandra Bullock, as the formerly retired master of media manipulation “Calamity” Jane Bodine, really stretches her skills and achieves new heights as an actress, showcasing the kind of talent that many of her detractors don’t want to admit she has. She’s alternately vulnerable and strong, displaying intense Machiavellian leanings in her quest to secure victory for her candidate, de Lozada stand-in Pedro Gallo Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida). Her desire for victory has little to do with her political alignment, and has everything to do with the fact that his opponent has secured the help of her former rival Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton).
The struggle between both consultants is where Our Brand is Crisis has its real legs, and the interplay between Bullock and Thornton offers more than a few genuinely funny moments. Contrary to popular opinion, Bullock has always been an actress with impeccable comedic timing and ability, despite the fact that her skills are usually put to work in trite movies. Her role here was apparently written for George Clooney, who had to drop out (though he does still serve as producer), leaving Bullock room to lobby for the position. This brings up an interesting question: Are the roles she’s typically known for trite because Hollywood is incapable of writing women in non-trite ways?
That’s probably a topic that will be explored and discussed endlessly with the release of this movie, and it really does make one wonder, especially given the current climate that finds high powered, well-known actresses coming out and decrying the sexist double standards of the Hollywood system. While I’ll leave this conversation to the people who are better versed and more able to speak on it, I would like to point out that, at the very least, Bullock handles a role intended for Clooney in ways that overshadow Clooney, and frankly the film is better for it.
Still, despite the interplay between Bodine and Candy, and despite the sheer strength of Bullock’s performance, Our Brand is Crisis never seems to figure out what kind of movie it wants—or needs—to be. As much as the movie does explore how the crisis narrative is used to garner political attention and votes—which is something to keep in mind over the next year—its neglect of the actual crisis these tactics actually caused is a tragedy. The film’s insistence on playing it safe ultimately undermines its satiric intent, and keeps it from becoming the movie it really ought to have been.
Our Brand Is Crisis is now playing in theaters everywhere.
