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So Goes the Nation
IFC Films


9.5

based on 12 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 2 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Paul Begala, George W. Bush, Mary Beth Cahill, Ed Gillespie, John Kerry, Terry McAuliffe, and Ken Mehlman

This documentary examines America's tumultuous electoral process through the eyes of diverse politicians, activists, and voters. (IFC Films)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Adam Del Deo James D. Stern
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 13, 2007 Theatrical: October 4, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Also known as "Ohio: An American Vote"

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

LA Weekly Tim Grierson

From its riveting opening to its gripping conclusion, . . . So Goes the Nation is arguably the most intelligent, kinetic analysis of the modern election process since "The War Room."

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The movie confirms what most of us have known all along: Electability is all about staying on message.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Distinguishes itself from the recent glut of mediocre political documentaries by opting for nonpartisanship.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Sticks to reporting. Unlike most political documentaries, it doesn't preach - to the choir or to anyone else.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

This is a conventional political documentary with a conventional view of what happened in the Buckeye State and why, but it's no less fascinating for all that.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

A clear-eyed and utterly ruthless dissection of the battle for Ohio in the months leading up to the 2004 presidential election.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

So Goes the Nation has no new conspiracy theories, settling instead for a meticulous examination of the two political parties' hellbent voter-seduction strategies, from demographic outreach to slam ads.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

For interested parties, it's entertaining to hear from, and meet, the people who live and breathe the politics of America.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Documentarians Adam Del Deo and James Stern present a cogent and comprehensive postmortem of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

The film's triple thesis is that elections are run badly, Democrats are often clueless and Republicans are clever. Maybe--but that still leaves too many unanswered questions.

Variety Ronnie Scheib

Neither newly revelatory nor formally innovative.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

George Bush supporters may think this dissection of the President's narrow and decisive 2004 election victory in Ohio is better than sex. But Democrats and Bush voters who have come to rue the day are more likely to compare it to losing the World Series on a seventh-game walkoff home run.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Silvia M. gave it a9:
Dems need to see this movie to understand what we did wrong and how the Bushies supresssed our vote. As the NY Times said it can serve as a manual for 2008. We can lick our wounds or we can learn from our mistakes and start winning. So Goes the Nation is a film for Dems who want to start winning again.

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So Goes the Nation IFC Films

So Goes the Nation
IFC Films