"Recount"
I was at the age of 14 by the
time November 7, 2000 rolled around. I was nowhere near old enough
to vote in the presidential election. Yes, I knew who was running.
It was Vice President Al Gore for the Democrats, George W. Bush for the
Republicans, and Pat Buchanan for some third party. Why do I remember Pat
Buchanan? Well apparently the general populous of Palm Beach, Florida
(mostly comprised of senior citizens) decided to cast their vote for Mr.
Buchanan. Did this third party candidate strike a particular cord amongst
this specific demographic of voters? Well, not exactly, despite what the
numbers said. No, thousands of Palm Beach residents complained that they
mistakenly voted for Buchanan when they actually meant to cast their vote the
vice president.
This is the opening sequence of
the film Recount. Now wait just a darn minute, how could so many
people have the same complaint? It's because of the way the Palm Beach
ballots were designed. Candidate names were on the left and right sides
of the ballot which made it difficult for voters to figure out which line went
to what chad they were supposed to punch. While all other states made
their selections official, all eyes were on the state of Florida. Who was
going to be the next president of the United States? We wouldn't know the
answer to that question until December 12. The reason for the holdup was
because both candidates hired lawyers to settle this dispute in court.
Ron Klain (Kevin Spacey) represented Gore, and James Baker (Tom Wilkinson) for
Bush. Each fought tooth and nail for
their clients and dragged this ordeal out for as long as possible. What
we get to see is all the meetings and legal discourse that occurred as both
sides attempted to uphold state and federal law.
Recount was made in 2008,
eight years after the United States Supreme Court passed rule declaring George
W. Bush the winner of Florida and thereby taking the election. Why was
this film released nearly a decade later, especially considering that fact that
the country had already re-elected Bush in 2004? I'm trying to figure out
if the film had a specific agenda. I'd say that for the most part
screenwriter Danny Strong and director Jay Roach present a fairly balanced look
at both sides as they argue their cases in the name of democracy and uphold
what they believe is fair and just. Was Gore just being a sore loser or
was the Florida election rigged from the beginning considering the fact that
the state's governor was Bush's little brother and the Secretary of State,
Katherine Harris (Laura Dern) had such a rudimentary understanding of state and
federal law? In the end it doesn't matter because George W. Bush spent
two terms in office, and that's that.
The events that unfold are
interesting but only to a point considering we already the ending. I was
unable to truly sympathize with any of the characters not because they
were unlikable, but because I never let myself get caught up in the
story. Dern and Wilkinson give superb performances and Spacey is solid as
always. The characters are much more watchable than the actual plot despite some of their
actions which we already know to be in vain.
In dealing with such an important
historical event that occurred on a domestic soil for a change, Recount probably
would work better as a documentary that should have been released in 2004. I suppose that future generations might get
more out of this film considering the fact that they were not around to witness
these events. I almost would have liked
to have seen this story from the point of view of Bush and Gore. What going on inside their heads? How was this affecting their families? These are questions we get very little insight
on. Recount
feels more like a recap from a newspaper or telecast of the 2000
election. Its level of presenting facts
from this reenactment does not offer anything new. For people who already felt strongly towards
one side or the other they will only become further entrenched in their views and
opinions. As a piece of cinema, Recount does not work as strongly as it
should have. The film has some
fantastic performances but its plot falls short of being something completely dramatic and engaging. I will say this though, Recount
won’t leave you hanging like some chad.
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