1. AlFall

   9

   Game Change is a very entertaining and surprisingly balanced portrayal of Sarah Palin and the 2008 campaign. Ed Harris and Julianne Moore are spot on as McCain and Palin - performances that should get Emmy nominations.… Expand

   • Helpful? 1 of 2 users said Yes.
2. ClariseSamuels

   8

   In 1972, the film The Candidate starred Robert Redford, who played the role of a handsome but inexperienced senatorial candidate selected to unseat a popular Republican. Candidate Bill McKay, played by Redford, is the son of a popular former governor, and his candidacy is taken seriously by voters because of the family name. His platform, however, is weak, if not nonexistent, because he is mostly a pretty boy and a dreamer with no real grasp of politics. His speeches are bland and generalized, and he needs prearranged answers to get him through a crucial debate. No one expects him to win the senatorial race, but he does. When he realizes that he's won, he is shocked and he takes the campaign director into a private room. The last line of the movie is Redford's character saying to the campaign manager, “Marvin, what do we do now?” The Candidate was a disquieting, what-if Hollywood scenario presenting a candidate who merely played the part, but Game Change is a real-life story of an incompetent candidate, Sarah Palin, who was chosen to run alongside veteran presidential candidate John McCain, mostly because of her charisma, her gender, and her family values. According to the biopic, when she was vetted for the position, everyone who interviewed her forgot to ask her policy questions. And that is why no one knew that she thought the Queen of England was in charge of British military forces and that North Korea was a U.S. ally. Like Redford's Bill McKay, her debates had to be scripted. Her popularity was related mostly to her personal warmth, the fact that she was the mother of five children, and her decision to go forward with her last pregnancy, having been told that the amniocentesis results revealed her child would have Down's Syndrome. It is a highly negative portrayal of Palin, who later went on to join the infamous Tea Party. Perhaps as the mother of a special-needs child, Palin deserves a little more respect than this film shows her. But her alleged ignorance of American history, economics, and government policy does present the alarming scenario of what would have happened if she had become a vice-president who might have inherited the office of president if anything had happened to John McCain (who ultimately has to bear the responsibility for her appointment as running mate). There was also the problem of her having gone “rogue,” breaking with McCain on significant issues after her popularity apparently fluffed up her ego and went to her head. The story of Sarah Palin, played brilliantly by Julianne Moore, is a cautionary tale for the government of the United States of America.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. eTurkey

   7

   You don't have to be a political junkie in order to enjoy the the trials and tribulations of the movie 'Game Change' based on the book 'Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime'. The star of the show is unsurprisingly Sarah Palin who is brilliantly portrayed in this film by Julieanne Moore. Kudos must also be awarded to Ed Harris who provides a revealing and honest depiction of John McCain. Although this piece was based on actual events I would have preferred more unseen material to be shown.… Expand

   • Helpful? 1 of 1 users said Yes.
4. dullurd

   3

   Scott Tobias of the Onion AVClub nailed the review so I'll just quote him:
   
   "This is supposed to be the inside story of the McCain campaign, with all its dysfunction, backbiting, and Hail Mary gimmickry, yet everyone speaks in stilted pundit-ese... The politicians and operatives in Game Change are not human beings. They are spouters of conventional wisdom."… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.

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