The best thing that this film has going for it is that it tells a story that I'm not sure has been told on film. Or at least in this way. Sandra Bullock plays Jane, a political campaigner who puts her trust behind a South American Presidential candidate against her long time rival and fellow campaigner. Our Brand Is Crisis is ambitious, much more global than some of David Gordon Green's other films like Joe or Pineapple Express. But it's not as even nor as clear as to the focus of the story. On one hand this is a political centered film. Then there's several attempts at a comedic side mixed with personal drama. Then there's the side story of the war torn areas of South America and the lack of motivations to fix it. There's just too much going on.
Sandra Bullock is always entertaining and this film is no different. Her relationship with Billy Bob Thornton's character is the crux of the story and it works really well. That angle was what the trailers sold, and it's by far the best part of the film are between those two. Anthony Mackie also has his moments but is criminally underused in what could have been a beefier role. With all that being said, the behind the scenes of a political campaign is fascinating and this film shows the dirtiness to the whole ordeal, which I appreciated. The film just loses focus one too many times in the second act.
If Our Brand is Crisis focused on one of the many story lines it could have been an Oscar contender. Just take a look at Argo for example, another film this group of producers made. Argo was always about getting that group of people back to the U.S. Every character was either in that film to get them home or to stop that from happening. It didn't focus on the military, protests, or any other country's side to this story, because it didn't need to. Crisis just had too many cooks in the kitchen per-se.
+Bullock & Thornton
+Fascinating to see the dirtiness of campaigning
-They tried to tell too many stories
-Tonally inconsistent
5.8/10
Sandra Bullock is always entertaining and this film is no different. Her relationship with Billy Bob Thornton's character is the crux of the story and it works really well. That angle was what the trailers sold, and it's by far the best part of the film are between those two. Anthony Mackie also has his moments but is criminally underused in what could have been a beefier role. With all that being said, the behind the scenes of a political campaign is fascinating and this film shows the dirtiness to the whole ordeal, which I appreciated. The film just loses focus one too many times in the second act.
If Our Brand is Crisis focused on one of the many story lines it could have been an Oscar contender. Just take a look at Argo for example, another film this group of producers made. Argo was always about getting that group of people back to the U.S. Every character was either in that film to get them home or to stop that from happening. It didn't focus on the military, protests, or any other country's side to this story, because it didn't need to. Crisis just had too many cooks in the kitchen per-se.
+Bullock & Thornton
+Fascinating to see the dirtiness of campaigning
-They tried to tell too many stories
-Tonally inconsistent
5.8/10