The Contender (2000)
This is an intensely focused political drama that tires, rather well, to show how the insides of the top of American politics works. At stake is a woman is has been nominated for confirmation as Vice-President of the U.S. But she has an enormous amount of baggage —not just liberal politics, but some sexual escapades as a college student and an affair with a friend's husband. So the hearings go afoul.
What makes this click is the writing. It's sharp, surprisingly astute, and sometimes scary for its believable bitterness. Now this doesn't necessarily make this a commanding movie —there are endless inner sanctum meetings and one-on-one power plays—but if you like this kind of thing, it's impressive enough to stick it out.
It's an irony that the ostensible main character, the woman in line to be VP, is relatively weak, played by Joan Allen. (Imagine a real politician, like Hilary or Barbara Boxer in the role instead.) She has all the right lines but she lacks a sense of power that she surely would have if about to be number 2.
Around her are powerful men, including two actors who are really strong—Gary Oldman as an opposing Republican and Jeff Bridges as the President. So the swirling conversations around these issues are driven and pointed. It's good stuff. The writer, Rod Lurie, happens to also be the director, and he does a creditable if not masterful job.
One of the flaws here is the basic premise that this woman would have had such scandal (in political terms) and gotten as far as senator. There are photographs of the one event (the details shift as the plots goes on, however) and television footage implying her affair. These are made plain and obvious beyond normal norms to make a point—the women are held to a different standard than men. But I'm not sure—if there were supposed photographs of a man having a wild sex romp as a college kid, they would probably derail the man's career as well. I'm not saying they should—not for a man or a woman—but that's the reality.
Anyway, the issues are given a fair shake and an uneven treatment with great perception. Never mind the soaring music a times, the acting and writing win the day. They makes it all worthwhile.
This is an intensely focused political drama that tires, rather well, to show how the insides of the top of American politics works. At stake is a woman is has been nominated for confirmation as Vice-President of the U.S. But she has an enormous amount of baggage —not just liberal politics, but some sexual escapades as a college student and an affair with a friend's husband. So the hearings go afoul.
What makes this click is the writing. It's sharp, surprisingly astute, and sometimes scary for its believable bitterness. Now this doesn't necessarily make this a commanding movie —there are endless inner sanctum meetings and one-on-one power plays—but if you like this kind of thing, it's impressive enough to stick it out.
It's an irony that the ostensible main character, the woman in line to be VP, is relatively weak, played by Joan Allen. (Imagine a real politician, like Hilary or Barbara Boxer in the role instead.) She has all the right lines but she lacks a sense of power that she surely would have if about to be number 2.
Around her are powerful men, including two actors who are really strong—Gary Oldman as an opposing Republican and Jeff Bridges as the President. So the swirling conversations around these issues are driven and pointed. It's good stuff. The writer, Rod Lurie, happens to also be the director, and he does a creditable if not masterful job.
One of the flaws here is the basic premise that this woman would have had such scandal (in political terms) and gotten as far as senator. There are photographs of the one event (the details shift as the plots goes on, however) and television footage implying her affair. These are made plain and obvious beyond normal norms to make a point—the women are held to a different standard than men. But I'm not sure—if there were supposed photographs of a man having a wild sex romp as a college kid, they would probably derail the man's career as well. I'm not saying they should—not for a man or a woman—but that's the reality.
Anyway, the issues are given a fair shake and an uneven treatment with great perception. Never mind the soaring music a times, the acting and writing win the day. They makes it all worthwhile.