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- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
Summary The Billy Corben documentary looks at how the the Elian Gonzalez controversy played a part in the the 2000 presidential election that ended in a voter recount in Miami-Dade County.
- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
537 Votes
Season 1 Premiere: Oct 21, 2020
82
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
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Summary The Billy Corben documentary looks at how the the Elian Gonzalez controversy played a part in the the 2000 presidential election that ended in a voter recount in Miami-Dade County.
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
82
100% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
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0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
82
100% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Director Corben expertly weaves together talking-head interviews with reporters and political operatives (including, yes, Roger Stone), with archival TV news footage and some clever use of graphics, to chronicle every step, including the surreal moment when “protesters” (who actually were paid Republican operatives) stormed to the very doors of the recount room in Miami-Dade, demanding the process be shut down.
While some of the details might have faded with memory, "537 Votes" nicely encapsulates the descent of politics into a blood sport where rivals are viewed as enemies, not opponents. Wherever one falls on the political spectrum, reliving the tumult and mayhem of that campaign it's reasonable to hope the past isn't prologue, and that what happened in Florida two decades ago doesn't serve as the extended trailer for 2020.
Corben ultimately sticks the landing by encapsulating how politics has descended from a place where political rivals were viewed as opponents, rather than enemies. ... While imperfect, "537 Votes" succeeds in making the tumult and social upheaval of 2000 feel fresh again, while also delivering additional nuance to the story that may have been lost over the last two decades.
537 Votes gives us a solid recontextualizing of the saga of undervotes, hanging chads and Supreme Court high jinks you think you understand and remember, all through Corben's Floridian perspective. ... I don't know that I've seen/heard it laid out as clearly and unimpeachably as Corben does here. With the help of local political and media figures, he connects a lot of dots.
Clips along at an entertaining pace and turns an upsetting story into comic tragedy. You likely haven’t seen this saga told with such crisp clarity before.
There are missteps when Corben leans too heavily on a post-2000 reference (it was very weird to see the DJ Khaled “Congratulations, you played yourself,” meme pop up), but overall it’s a good education even if there are some larger questions it could have explored.
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Production Company:
- HBO Documentary Films
- Hyperobject Industries
- Rakontur
Initial Release Date: Oct 21, 2020
Number of seasons: 0 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Genres:
