TV Review - Game Change

Directed by: Jay Roach
Starring: Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Woody Harrelson, Peter MacNicol, Sarah Paulson, Ron Livingston

Harris and Moore are John McCain and Sarah Palin in this HBO dramatization of their failed election campaign.

It might be election year but it seems a strange time to bring this story to the screen, either three years late or thirty years early. At this point we've seen countless portrayals of Palin, from comedians to pornstars. This is probably the first serious dramatic attempt but Moore falls well short. Visually she looks perfect but her performance is far too comic and seems to be based on Frances McDormand's irritating turn in "Fargo". Harris is impressive but the anchor of the film is Harrelson, brilliant as campaign strategist Steve Schmidt.

I knew this would essentially be an attack on Palin, which is fine by me, but I have a major problem with the manner of the attack. Rather than focusing on her insane worldview it cheaply mocks her for being uneducated. Attacking an individual for their lack of intelligence seems below the belt when the target of criticism should be the society that elevates and cultivates these people.
What we have here is a classic case of liberal hypocrisy. Palin is turned into an object of derision for being nothing more than a dumb hick. Ironically the director is Jay Roach whose previous credits include "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Meet The Fockers". He's contributed a lot more to the dumbing down of America than Palin ever will.
Palin might be laughed at for appealing to Joe the plumber but Joe is the very person so-called liberal Hollywood panders to. Whether it's votes or bums on seats, the lowest common denominator will always be the most indulged.
4/10

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