[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59t2CDA2JEY[/youtube]
Recount aired over the weekend and it’s possible that will be up for some Emmy love, perhaps for Kevin Spacey for actor, but especially Laura Dern as Katherine Harris, that awful Bush patsy who helped tilt the election in Bush’s favor. Dern is great in the part and never seems to be passing judgment on the woman, which is key when good people play bad people. She avoided caricature (although the above clip makes it look more like an SNL clip). Of course, this film is the democrats’ take, though they do attempt to tell the story from the other side. When the highest court in the land intervenes in an unprecedented move to block the recount, that’s when things get really ugly. We already saw Scalia defend those actions on “Sixty Minutes” so we know there is another truth out there for people who hate democrats.
I rather enjoyed Recount, although it brought back those painful memories of 2000. Although it is one-sided, I think the film nevertheless captures the reality of the entire recount process – Gore and his legal team were outmaneuvered most of the time by Bush and his own team. I thought Laura Dern was a dead ringer for Katherine Harris, and though some moments veered off into caricature, Harris is not exactly a popular figure even in her own party and she has made some pretty outlandish statements about religion and government as well.
As Sasha Stone said, the facts surrounding the election are mind-boggling and troubling. And the Supreme Court’s decision was completely disingenuous – Scalia and THomas had never given a rat’s ass to the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment, yet that’s exactly what they went to in order to justify shutting down the recount, while violating federalist principles in butting in what was essentially a state decision. Yes, the idea that each county could determine it’s own recount standards was a bad idea to begin with, but the SC instead of shutting it down altogether should have sent it back to the Florida Supremes and mandate they set uniform standards.
I just hope, for all our sakes, this kinda election scenario never happens again.
True that it seems like it’s singing to the choir, but one hopes that in 2008 the choir has grown from a few sane people shouting in the wilderness to the majority of a nation. This situation was absolutely unacceptable for a democracy. There were so many shenanigans in Florida and many battleground states that the mind boggles. It’s OK to bounce thousands of African Americans off the voting rolls because their names are similar to felons? One county had a negative count of something like 14,000 votes because of a defective machine and guess what? The same machine is still in operation in Florida. If you think this movie is slanted, look into the actual event and you will see that the lines are pretty clear. Here’s hoping this movie serves as a catalyst to people to learn more about how democracy was/continues to be stolen from the American people. The next election is just around the corner.
As much as I am a democrat, I believe Scalia in his view of things. I don’t believe the Supreme Court decided the election, the recounters did. As much as I deplored Scalia, I have a new found respect for him. He may be conservative, but if I was a justice I would view the Constitution conservatively as well. Society changes and then laws change. Laws should never change society, look at Prohibition.
Recount was ok, it was just so biased. I’m not a fan of overtly biased pieces like Farenheit 9/11 or Birth of a Nation, although I did like The Seachers. Recount just seemed like it was singing to the choir in some respects.
Harris is not exactly Ms. Popular inside her own party either, as the film correctly depicts. Here are some GOP insiders chiming in on her:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191406,00.html
Republican lobbyist Mac Stipanovich (brilliantly and sympathetically played in the film by Bruce McGill) on our Crazy Kat: “She moves in ways so mysterious that the designs of the Creator seem transparent by comparison.”
In defense of Harris:
http://thehill.com/david-hill/theres-something-about-harris-2006-03-22.html
God how I love Laura Dern. She bucks the trend of actresses’ careers declining as they head into their 40’s by being selective with her projects and making really daring choices… with ‘Inland Empire’ and ‘We Don’t Live Here Anymore’ in her recent catalogue, and now this, she’s at the very top of her game.
An Emmy is the least she deserves.
It is an absolutely one-sided tale. The bad guys are the Repubs and the good guys are the dems – even Al Gore is let off the hook. Still, the facts of the case are mind-boggling. Why would the Supreme Court do a one-off? Why did they run down the clock and then say there wasn’t enough time? Why did they intervene at all? Why not just let the votes be counted? I would like to see the other side of the story told in a way that would convince me there wasn’t a clear right and wrong but only a difference of opinion. We are a cowed nation. We don’t stand up for anything anymore. Was a time when that sort of thing, the Supreme Court deciding an election, would have been intolerable.
“We already saw Scalia defend those actions on “Sixty Minutes” so we know there is another truth out there for people who hate democrats.”
Uh, yeah, nice.
Or maybe people who just share a different point of view on the situation.
bebe: “It’s not one-sided. It depicts the facts of the case in an unbiased way.”
If this is true, why are there are different perspectives on this event? The producers and writers of the show have even admitted it’s a very biased take on the event.
Thanks Chris. But I think it’s too late for that. 🙂
And anyway, I don’t think anyone can dispute that Katherine Harris did not act in the best interest of the American people but to those who helped her put her, and keep her, in power. Ditto the Supreme Court. Nothing Harris did seemed right or fair — maybe to Republicans – I don’t know what that feels like though.
first let me say i love this site – its always interesting read. I saw the movie the other night and agree, she is a lock, and so is spacey. Wilkinson has a stronger shot for John Adams.
a side note – i dont think she was an awful woman, lets keep our politics to ourselves and agree on our shared love for film, i would hate for people who love your site feel like their beliefs or whatever are being attacked.
and in a completely different direction… Go D-day! Isn’t ironic that Bruce McGill had had the longest career of the Animal House cast?
Dern was highly caricature in the film. She made Katherine Harris seem like a sorority girl at rush. Poor decision making by the filmmakers to have her play it this way. Not Derns fault.
I would agree that it did seem that it was something seen on SNL. I wasnt really impressed with it. I think maybe a nomination, but I feel the win will go to Audra McDonald for her brilliant performance in A Raisin in the Sun.
It’s not one-sided. It depicts the facts of the case in an unbiased way. The point of view of the storytelling is the Gore side, but this is very much what happened. It’s a scandal and if Gore had done the kinds of shenanigans Bushco pulled off in 2000, he’d be in Guantanamo by now.
It was pretty one-sided, even if they treated James Baker an empathetic character with Tom Wilkinson playing him. The sympathy is clearly all with the Gore team.
Laura Dern is a lock to be nominated. Spacey and Wilkinson probably are as well. At least Spacey; Wilkinson may be getting much love for John Adams come Emmy time.