comment #1

colby says ...

I wonder if Clooney can get Carville to be in this, since the two worked together on K Street.

comment #2

Noah says ...

I'd be curiouss to read a little more about this one. Politics in feature films is a slippery slope. It's hard not to be preachy. And it's hard not to be boring. In documentaries, preachiness is forgiven, but this seems like it could fall into that trap. I hope it doesn't and I think Clooney is smart enough to navigate these waters.

comment #3

ROTC says ...

Based on Wells's description, this reminds me of "Thank You for Smoking," which I just saw on cable yesterday. That film was well-constructed and generally intelligent, but IMHO not particularly funny or meaty - the kind of movie that, when it ended, one of my first thoughts was that I was glad I didn't pay $28 bucks for my wife and I to see it at The ArcLight. (I suspect "Fast Food Nation," which I haven't yet seen, falls into that category as well.) Frankly, I think these sorts of political/satiric projects tend to be better suited nowadays for pay TV than theatrical release.

comment #4

OddDuck says ...

Personally I hope this movie will be less of a comical farce than "Thank You for Smoking", and also less of a pedantic bore than "Fast Food Nation"

I take it for granted that the movie will be smart, so the key is getting the tone right. Dark and dry, but not too dark and not too dry. And keep it smart. But not too smart. Oh, I don't know. But I trust Clooney's instincts in this area.

comment #5

Craig Kennedy says ...

A smart black comedy that manages to skate the narrow line between funny and preachy would be amazing. Sort of a Dr. Strangelove of the American political process.

Here's hoping they pull it off.

comment #6

jeffmcm says ...

Agreed, Fast Food Nation is not well-constructed and generally intelligent.
Here's hoping it's better than Syriana.

comment #7

Larry says ...

Clooney's always been at his worst when he's at his most political, and dark comedies are hard to pull off, but there hasn't been a good one in years so you can't blame him for trying.

comment #8

D.Z. says ...

I'm worried it'll be another American Dreamz, if done as a comedy...

comment #9

Craig Kennedy says ...

American Dreamz was an alleged comedy. Since it didn't make me laugh, the jury is still out on that one.

...but I see your point.

comment #10

SpinDozer says ...

'Here's hoping it's better than Syriana.'

If its 1/10th as good as Syriana it will be a very good movie and will have greatly exceeded my expectations. I wish the hell they would have done Fast Food Nation as a doc and SuperSize Me a a lo-concept multiplex flick. I would think the optimal outcome would be 'inspired by' rather than based on, then maybe, the 'good candidate' could win and impose an American style democracy complete with a belligerent foreign/economic policy and vegamatic electorate, but then we'd be back to a documentary, o well.

comment #11

GKLondon says ...

And here's hoping that those involved will portray the machinations of these soulless greed heads without resorting to soft ball tactics like including some young idealist with a conscience who is seduced and then rejects the Faustian pact, etc. See the fictionalization planned for "Enron, The smartest guys......" for how NOT to do this kind of thing. Wall Street is the same thing. Too much finger wagging for my taste.

Personally, watching a top notch actor depict Ken Lay and "the boys" trying to look wholesome as they try to eat the world alive, and subsequently, how they react to being caught with their hand in the cookie jar, would be more than compelling. And same with this very juicy project.

comment #12

jeffmcm says ...

Syriana is not a particularly good movie. It has its heart in the right place, but it's full of too many earnestly tedious soapbox dialogue exchanges and it's too wrapped up in being a movie with 'answers' than 'questions'. It's too smug and complacent.

I'd prefer an approach closer to Wag the Dog but with a bigger budget for a more expansive palette.

comment #13

Craig Kennedy says ...

I thought Syriana was good when I first saw it, but the longer I'm away from it, the less I like it.

I rewatched Traffic recently too and had the same reaction. Gaghan isn't exactly subtle.

comment #14

christian says ...

who'll play james carville? what a dipshit...

comment #15

SpinDozer says ...

'I thought Syriana was good when I first saw it, but the longer I'm away from it, the less I like it.

I rewatched Traffic recently too and had the same reaction. Gaghan isn't exactly subtle.'

I really liked art direction of Traffic but thought there were def problems with character arcs and story. That being said, do not understand how anyone could like Traffic and not Syriana. Not too sure what you mean by a supposed lack of subtlety...the characters were far less dead on than the average socially relevant drama...for example.

My POV is that within 20 years, Syriana will be regarded as the best film of 2005 and film fanciers will scratch their heads abt Million Dollar Baby (& other noms Sideways, Aviator, Ray, & Neverland).

Syriana is way off topic &, in my opinion, the first comparison was inappropriate...'Crisis' screams out to be a black comedy whereas the machinations of the oil economy does not...

comment #16

Craig Kennedy says ...

I liked both when I first saw them. Less so now though in fairness I haven't seen Syriana since. All I'm saying.

Lack of subtlety at least applies to Traffic. Topher Grace's speech to Michael Douglas is a glaring, groaning example.

Both films seemed to oversimplify extremely complex issues.

comment #17

SpinDozer says ...

You're entitled, I just wasn't sure what you specifically meant. Traffic def had moments when the suspension of disbelief took a hit, Grace's speech and Douglas resolution were glaring examples of this.

both films (esp. Traffic - IMO) may oversimplify complex issues, but I would also say that, in relative terms, both are significant achievements in realistic portrayals of true life situations compared with every other film on these subjects.

comment #18

Craig Kennedy says ...

And they both had the stones to tackle the complex subjects in the first place which ordinarily wouldn't be touched by a 10 foot pole in Hollywood.

comment #19

jeffmcm says ...

"My POV is that within 20 years, Syriana will be regarded as the best film of 2005 and film fanciers will scratch their heads abt Million Dollar Baby (& other noms Sideways, Aviator, Ray, & Neverland)."

To each his own, but I call this a little bonkers. Syriana was a clumsy, overly topical message movie, nothing more, nothing less. Its value lie, as CJK says, in being a mainstream Hollywood movie that at least tries to tackle a tough subject, even though it largely ends up preaching to the choir.
As far as I'm concerned the 2005 with the longest legs will be The New World. I think Aviator and Sideways will age just fine, Ray not so much.