Pretty Good

Admirable film.

Absolutely the worst movie.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The irony of GAME CHANGE is that it reveals more about liberal hypocrisy and the flaws of the feminist elite than it does about the rise and fall of Sarah Palin. What comes across most clearly is not that Sarah Palin was unqualified but that the college-educated women on her own team resented her for class reasons that had nothing to do with political ability. Late in the picture, when Sarah is being criticized, she says something to the effect of, "well, Hillary Clinton does the same thing and no one objects." And then her own female staffer says, "yes, and you're SO MUCH like Hillary." And we're meant to see that as a brilliant put down? Why? Because Sarah Palin's parents weren't rich enough to send her to Wellesley College? Or because she overcame economic and class-based obstacles Hillary never had to face?The real message of the film is not that Republican policies are wrong but that working class people have no business aspiring to high political office -- or even taking an active interest in politics. If this is really what liberals think then they really are corrupt and dishonest beyond Sarah Palin's wildest dreams. But I give GAME CHANGE seven stars because Julianne Moore, Edd Harris, and Woody Harrelson all give superb performances. The real tragedy is that the story didn't focus on John McCain. The writers plainly see him as a Shakespearean tragic hero, a noble man undone by the mob, like Brutus or Coriolanus. In this telling, McCain is a principled aristocrat who only discovers midway through the campaign that his own followers are nothing but racist subhuman scum -- and then he proves his tragic stature by deliberately losing the election on principle. Whether you believe that scenario or not, the fact is that McCain emerges as a much more compelling and sympathetic figure than Sarah Palin. Presumably an Annapolis graduate meets the liberal definition of a "well-born" American eligible for high office. This movie was fascinating and disgusting at the same time. The people who made it are just as bigoted and ignorant as any of the people they attack. Only they don't know it.

I am amazed at the posters who are coming on to review this movie and claiming that the movie is propaganda and full of lies. This movie is amazingly accurate.Both Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace, the two senior advisors to Mcain and Palin have both come out and stated it was spot on. Schmidt has said there are moments in the film that were almost verbatim, and it is amazingly accurate. Wallace said it was so true to life it gave her chills.This is an excellent movie. Sarah Palin was totally unprepared to run for this office and I think the movie does a good job showing how unfair this process really was for her and her family.Watch it and you will be amazed. Great movie.

I knew right then that the Republicans would loose. All Palin had to do was open her mouth...and out came -- nothing. She had no qualifications and hadn't a clue how the world ran. Watching this movie brought back all that Palin stubborn idiocy and I found myself laughing at her. I really felt sorry for Steve (played by Woody Haroldson). His apology to McCain for suggesting Palin was rather touching. Fox News recently realized just how empty-headed Palin is and got rid of her.Some of that delight -- to a lesser degree -- returned when Romney picked Paul Ryan as his running mate. Once again, I knew the Democrats had it in the bag.

Make no mistake, Game Change is about Sarah Palin period. Most of the things you read about it will say it chronicles John McCain's 2008 Presidential bid from choosing Palin as his running mate to their eventual defeat. This is true to a certain degree but the focus of the film, the entire purpose is to chronicle Sarah Palin, and they do so absolutely brilliantly thanks to an incredible starring performance and a very well written intelligent script. The film is often riveting and very well put together. The pacing is perfect and perhaps one of the smartest things about the film is that it is mainstreamed so that absolutely anyone can understand it, follow it, appreciate it, and be entertained but still find a deeper understanding of both Palin and McCain. I'm a democrat to the core (which is not up for debate and doesn't matter at all), but watching Game Change gave me a whole new opinion, and vision of both of the lead characters. The film does not trash Palin or McCain, and in fact gives, what I believe, is an unbiased, fair and solid vision of the race and the people involved.I've never been really impressed with Julianne Moore though she's had some good roles. So in my opinion this was literally and hands down the best role of Moore's career. She doesn't just become Palin, she shows this woman's chemistry, charisma, brilliance, downfalls, shortcomings, quirks, personality...she brings her to life. Obviously Palin fans won't necessarily like the negative sides of her personality but Moore plays her with such empathy and power. I never understood Palin's draw that she had until I watched this movie. She was an every woman, she was America's mom and you see all this in the film. One of the only downsides to this movie was I could have watched Ed Harris play John McCain in an entire film on his own. He is brilliant. I don't like the constant barrage of cursing the he does (was this really a John McCain quirk?) but that's not Harris' performance but rather the script. He gives a powerhouse performance and commands the screen every time he is on it which isn't enough. Woody Harrelson gives a subtle and yet powerful performance as campaign manager Steve Schmidt. I actually his performance is slightly toned down to not overpower that of Harris and Moore. He still is one to watch with his emotions and facial intensity. The supporting cast is a virtual whose who of Television and movie actors. A few of the more stand out performances are given by Peter MacNicol, Sarah Paulson, and Ron Livingston.Part of the brilliance of the film is how to incorporates live footage in with the actors. The scenes where Moore as Palin debates with Joe Biden, splicing together actual footage of him was brilliantly done. Clearly director Jay Roach knows his way around the political game having previously done Recount and even using his knowledge as a comedic film maker and a political know how to make The Campaign (a surprisingly hilarious and completely unbiased look at the election process.) I understand John McCain has personally spoke out against Game Change calling it false and essentially garbage but I don't think the film is negative in any way. I think it is showing the ins and outs, the mistakes and the successes of their campaign. I am certain that a similar film could be made about Obama's campaign only with a different outcome. The film is really well made despite the grievous error (in my opinion) of having so much bad language jammed in there for no reason. The musical montage with Palin getting dressed is almost a step into too mainstream waters but these tiny little missteps aside, this is one great political film thanks to a smart script and two powerful lead performances well deserving of their Golden Globe Nominations. 8.5/10