Recount (2008) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Jay Roach

Writer:

Danny Strong (written by)

Release Date:

25 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

The future of the nation was hanging by a chad.

Plot:

A chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida. |

Plot Keywords:

Florida | Election | Presidential Election | F Word | Profanity

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Kevin Spacey	...	Ron Klain
Bob Balaban	...	Ben Ginsberg
Ed Begley Jr.	...	David Boies
Laura Dern	...	Katherine Harris
John Hurt	...	Warren Christopher
Denis Leary	...	Michael Whouley
Bruce McGill	...	Mac Stipanovich
Tom Wilkinson	...	James Baker
Bruce Altman	...	Mitchell Berger
Jayne Atkinson	...	Theresa LePore
Gary Basaraba	...	Clay Roberts
Derek Cecil	...	Jeremy Bash
Eve Gordon	...	Monica Klain
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Carol Roberts
Mitch Pileggi	...	Bill Daley

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Company:

Everyman Pictures

Trivia:

The real James Baker III liked and supported the film upon its release.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first scene, where James Baker is drinking Dr. Pepper, the can he is drinking from was not issued in 2000. However, later on in the movie, this error was corrected and he is drinking out of the older version of the can.

Quotes:

James Baker: Now listen people, this is a street fight for the presidency of the United States.

Movie Connections:

Features Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election (2002)

Soundtrack:

I Won't Back Down

totally fair? maybe not, but neither is American democracy

Recount goes over familiar territory, and for some it will be like opening up a wound that's been covered for several years only to find the pus is still fresh and rotten. Whether you're a democrat or republican- for the latter, of course, your man "won" in the end- a lot of the details in the story of the Florida electoral results in the 2000 Presidential election just flat out stink of corruption and mismanagement. It displays a failure on the part of what should be a somewhat reliable process in an already faulty system (i.e. electoral college, besides the point). What lessons can be taken from the Florida story? Pretty much the story, and the film, acts as a referendum on how things can get so (bleeped), on each party side- democrats not strong enough in the fight at crucial beats, republicans acting like bullies- and the only hope is that it never gets this wretched again.

Whatever thoughts on the issues one will have, it's a worthwhile TV movie based just on the cast alone. Director Jay Roach, usually responsible for silly comedies like Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, tackles the drama with a firm hand (if not the sturdiest camera- hand held of course) on his large group of thespians. Kevin Spacey hasn't been this good in years, and Leary is a welcome presence as a Gore campaign member. Also very noteworthy are small parts for John Hurt, Ed Begley Jr, Bruce McGill. But best of all are Laura Dern in a harrowingly funny turn as dumb-bell Katherine Harris and Tom Wilkinson as tough lawyer James Baker, who comes off as icy as one might expect playing a loyal cadre of the Bush family. They make the movie compulsively watchable, even as the details of the case- the dimple chads, the discrimination, the BS protester problem in Miami-Dade, and ultimately the ruling of the supreme court- make one very sick about the madness unraveling.