Our Brand Is Crisis - movie review

Our Brand Is Crisis

Plot: A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate.
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie
Director: David Gordon Green
Rating: 15
Release Date: 22nd January 2016

Political dramas are hard to come by. They can either be filled with too many facts and figures or just be plain, dull and boring. Political comedies are even harder to make and get correct, with The Campaign starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis being the only decent one that comes to mind. Our Brand Is Crisis however, attempts to be both. Probably not the best choice. With the majority of the movie taking place in Bolivia, we are introduced to a new style of politics rather than the much publicised American and British elections. Unfortunately, Our Brand Is Crisis fails to make me invested in hardly any of it at all.



Based upon a 2005 documentary regarding the same topic of the 2002 Bolivian elections, Sandra Bullock plays Jane, a political consultant who, after some years of a break, is coerced into aiding a Bolivian candidate to victory. Bullock's performance was arguably the most interesting in the movie and I had the most investment with her character. However, maybe that is simply because she is Sandra Bullock, the charming and enjoyable actress. It's clear that she is having fun with this role and at some points, it suggests to me, that she was trying to get this performance nominated for awards. Alas it was to no prevail. The other cast member who stood out to me was Joaquim de Almeida as the political candidate, Castillo. There were moments where he seemed endearing and I found myself rooting for him to get the presidency. Plus, considering English is not his first language, he held his own against some of the English-speaking actors. However, the rest of the actors just seemed uninterested or completely miscast. Billy Bob Thornton was Bullock's opponent and he was entirely wasted. He felt like a glorified cameo that had outstayed its welcome rather than a true supporting role. Anthony Mackie was fine but that is all that can be said. Whilst watching his performance, I never felt that this was the role that Mackie was born to play and that the character could be played by someone else and it wouldn't have made much difference. 

Where the film really falters and my likeability for it dramatically decreases is the overall story and the writing, more specifically, its lacklustre attempt at comedy. None, and I do mean, none of the jokes landed for me. The only time I would ever crack a smile was when something genuinely happy happened in the film rather than a joke that missed completely. With an underlying theme as serious and preachy as this, you don't expect to see a Llama get hit by a car nor Sandra Bullock mooning Billy Bob Thornton in a ridiculous and pointless coach chase. Honestly, the film felt as lost as a three year old stuck in IKEA. It never felt as if it had a clear path to what it wanted to be. Instead it's almost like David Gordon Green and writer, Peter Straughan, had made two different movies and mashed them together. The movie also had a lot of unnecessary filler regarding Bullock's character trying to connect with some of the lower class of Bolivia. That then led to the most crazy and pointless scene of Sandra Bullock getting drunk and then playing pranks on Billy Bob Thornton. I spent that entire sequence cringing and wanting to sleep. It detracted from the entire plot and felt forced for supposed "comedic effect". But even though, the movie's comedy misfired like a malfunctioning gun, the drama present wasn't all that bad. There were exciting debate scenes and it provided an intriguing behind the scenes look at how political campaigns are run. I also found myself enjoying some moments of expertly structured tension due to the great and powerful speeches from Bullock herself. This is where this film has glimmers of promise and it's a shame that the rest of the movie failed to fulfill them.

Something which is often apparent in a political centred feature is an entertaining score that can keep viewers enthralled in something that could be considered boring. Our Brand Is Crisis balances between a good score and a forgettable one. Moments in which they incorporate classic and well-known songs works well and I found myself tapping along and having some fun. However, the score from David Wingo had no effect on me. It added no interest or any form of emotion to scenes and at times, contrasted to what happened on screen. The film does look quite nice with it providing a overview of Bolivia but thankfully, it never strayed into a travel brochure format where they would advertise the country for tourists to visit. Instead, it revealed the harsh living conditions providing moments of genuine intrigue and hope for the future of these people.

In short, some moments of this film had echoes of a good movie, yet due to poor comedy and wasted talent, I was never fully invested in the outcome and the overall conclusion was so abrupt, I wasn't sure if the film had ended until I saw the credits. My suggestion; don't go and out and spend money on this unless you desperately want to. Instead, you could wait until it comes on TV giving you the option to change channel or not pay full attention. You could do that or just not see it. I doubt it will have that much of a prominent effect upon your life.

My Verdict: 4.5/10

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