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Plot: A chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida.
Meet Other Fans
Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 12, 2008This is the kind of based-on-a-true-story movie I like. The ones that, although you know the outcome already, you wish weren't true. Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Tom Wilkinson and Laura Dern gave excellent performances. Writer Danny Strong's talent really impressed me for being his first writing credit.
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MCT:October 12, 2008Does it lean to the left? Sure, probably. But overall, it seems like a fairly even-handed look at one of the most embarrassing moments in American democracy. And sadly, it doesn't seem that any real lessons were learned in the end. Another close election, which this current one is shaping up to be, and we've got Florida 2000 all over again. That there weren't immediate calls for standardized election processes to be put in place across the country so everyone was voting on the same machines with the same standards is an unbelievably depressing. All right, off the soapbox. The movie itself did a great job of explaining just what the hell happened those 36 days in November and December of 2000, showing just how a dimpled chad or a hanging chad could occur (something I was always a little fuzzy on) and gives some great detail as to the legal manueverings on both sides of the contested election. Superb performances by everyone here, particularly Kevin Spacey and Tom Wilkinson. There are no villains here, unless you're extremely partisan, in which case you'll villify the Democrat or Republican of your choice regardless. The two who come off the worst here are Katherine Harris (arguably the most "biased" performance, Laura Dern still does an excellent job) and Joe Lieberman. A great, frustrating, tense political film.
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MCT:October 11, 2008This is a great movie to watch before the election. Unfortunately, it doesn't really delve into the vote suppression issue much. Well cast, and Laura Dern steals the show as Katherine Harris. This would make a good triple feature with American Blackout and An Unreasonable Man.
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MCT:September 12, 2008It recounts the "event" well, but it's obvious Democratic slant waters this down to propaganda waste. Sure, it's an issue worthy of investigation, but I think I'd rather watch a documentary that in someway neuters the bias and tries to give a fair account of the proceedings.
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MCT:September 10, 2008
Ron Klain: How hard is it to punch a paper ballot?
Michael Whouley: It?s pretty God damn hard when you're eighty something years old, you're arthritic, and you're blind as a fucking bat. Unfortunately for us, blind fucking bats tend to vote Democratic.
Kevin Spacey leads an all star cast of character actors in a movie produced by HBO, chronicling the weeks after the 2000 US presidential election and the drama involving the Florida recount.
Ron Klain: The plural of "chad" is "chad"?
Along with Spacey, Dennis Leary, Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt, Ed Begeley Jr., and Laura Dern all portray various figures on either political party who had to deal with the attempts to get an official recount and legal action for the improperly handled votes down in Florida.
While there are certainly elements enhanced for the sake of drama, the film remains very accurate and true to the incidents that occurred. The film also manages to be very engaging. It is a film about men arguing over pieces of paper, but I was enjoying it very much.
It is also helpful that the movie doesn't take a stern side against Bush in favor of Gore. While the movie certainly presents the way the situation occurred for the most part, the people involved on both sides are treated with respect.
Originally to be directed by Sydney Pollack, before eventually becoming to ill, Jay Roach, best known for directing the Austin Powers series as well as the Meet the Parents movies, does a very good job with the handling of this political drama that maintained my interest.
Ron Klain: You know what I wanna know?
Michael Whouley: Nope.
Ron Klain: I wanna know who won this fucking election. Who the fuck won? -
MCT:September 8, 2008
I had forgotten how crazy this election was. Jay Roach shows a talent for more dramatic fare with this film.
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MCT:August 29, 2008
Wow. This movie is paced like a thriller and both clever and funny. Laura Dern is hilarious as Katherine Harris!
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MCT:August 28, 2008
Kevin Spacey leads a great cast in this witty & entertaining look at what happened behng the scenes of the 2000 election debacle.
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MCT:August 22, 2008
A decent movie about the complete and total catastrofuck also known as the 2000 Florida election. Or The Beginning of the End if you prefer. Recount is full of great performances as well as creepy as fuck performances--namely anyone who played a Republican (i.e. Laura Dern and Tom Wilkinson.) This movie is every bit as sad as Edward Scissorhands and Doctor Zhivago but just as anger-inducing as anything with Michael Moore's name on it.
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MCT:July 20, 2008
a great movie. you'll have to go on HBO to find it, but you should really seek it out. Making the 2000 election suspenseful and hilarious is no easy task, but the cast is well up to it. Kevin Spacey is in top form as the head of Al Gore's campaign, and Laura Dern shines as the dim-witted Florida secretary of state. Notable performences from Denis Leary, Tom Wilkenson, and Bob Balaban round out near-perfect casting. you already know how it ends, but this movie sends a good message. its not what happened, but how it happened. it also speaks to our present situation in more ways tehn one, but i'll let you decide for yourself what this movie means to you. Find it.
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MCT:July 19, 2008
This a great movie and everyone in the U.S. should see this movie. It is based on the events of the 2000 presidential election. They put together a very cast for this movie. Kevin Spacey was very good and stole a lot of the scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
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MCT:July 3, 2008
This movie will get you fired up! Even though you know how it turns out going into it, there is a genuine feel of suspense throughout. The casting is eerily good, and Kevin Spacey in particular really shines. For a politically and historically educated mind, this is mandatory viewing. My only criticism is the absence of the proceedings that occurred in the Congress afterwards, for which the producers must have felt was beyond the scope of this movie. However, that actual footage can be seen in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11".
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MCT:June 22, 2008
Excellent Movie. Excellent Movie. Excellent Movie. Laura Dern was fantastic. Kevin Spacey was brilliant. Excellent Movie.
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MCT:June 20, 2008
It does a good accurate job of re-enacting the chaos that ensued at the time. Also makes it easier to understand both parties viewpoints and reasoning.
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MCT:June 13, 2008
I went into this knowing full well it wasn't my kind of film. Not only does this genre of movie tend to be completely biased, but character development is always sacrificed for a never ending population of newly introduced characters whose entire purpose is to argue relentlessly. Well, "Recount" does fit both of my initial concerns quite well... however, I was surprised at how enjoyable it was all things considered.
The film premiered on HBO last month, but it definitely doesn't scream "low-budget, made-for-TV" movie at you. The stars are here in full force from Kevin Spacey to last year's Academy Award Nominee Tom Wilkinson. Director Jay Roach, known more for films like "Austin Powers" or "Meet the Parents" shows he is completely competent engaging in more serious subject matter. The film is tight, polished, and ultimately completely realized in every conceivable way. But again, I think everything was so tightly knit that in the end you just couldn't care about anyone involved.
The film is told primarily from a democratic point of view, lead by Kevin Spacey's Ron Klain. I don't know if the directors full intention was to present the democrats as heroes who were robbed of a victory and the republicans as stubborn buffoons, but at times it certainly felt that way. The one Republican with an odd sort of appeal is Laura Dern's Katherine Harris... she's completely clueless, and in way over her head which in a strange way made her lovable. Tom Wilkinson gives a wonderful performance as James Baker, but he's ultimately too underdeveloped to sympathize with in any way. In fact, the first we hear about him on a personal level is within the last 15 minutes of the film.
The film's biased viewpoint didn't aggravate me as much as it does in other films. The point of the film is not "Democrats are awesome, screw you Republicans!", but rather a study of the absolute mess and chaos that ensued from a flawed system. Also, near the end, we get a sense that Roach takes no stance whatsoever and simply tells us that things are what they are, and they wouldn't of been any different had Gore won the election. It's a political film, but it's not an anti-Bush protest, it's more of a celebration of the determination of the Democratic party and their absolute reluctance to accept defeat.
Again, i'll say the problems of "Recount" rely fully on it's characters. There's some wonderful actors, but the film is so heavily populated that everyone seems like a caricature of every politician you've ever seen. The character with the most depth is arguably Kevin Spacey's, who we really don't get much out of except for the first act.
I'll praise the film for making a thrilling documentary-like film where everyone who's seen it knows exactly what the outcome is. We know where the movie is headed, but we're still shocked by the events that transpire in between... I was only in Junior High in 2000, so my memory of a lot of the election is rather cloudy and this served as a great reminder of what happened.
I think you could have a great character study in "Recount" had you focused primarily on Spacey and Wilkinson and their motives for what they do, but rather you have a film that's too broad to properly become invested in. The film isn't insulting in anyway, but it certainly passed on some wonderful opportunities for a great story. -
MCT:June 2, 2008Very good HBO television drama about the 2000 election Florida recount that took place. The movie really shows how much of a fiasco the situation was at the time.
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MCT:June 2, 2008
A marvelous drama masquerading as a documentary... or the other way around. Unlike some others claiming the same, it is fair and balanced, while keeping what actually happened from being wiped clean of any significance. Yes, some people have egg on their face, but no noses are rubbed into it, there is no shaming. All that is left is excellent acting wrapped around a prominent (and more importantly, relevant) piece of American history.
A convoluted story to tell convincingly, let alone gracefully. -
MCT:June 1, 2008
Hilarious, well-acted, an insightful look at the controvrsial events that took place in Florida during the 200 Presidential election. While the acting is great all around, Spacey, Leary, and especially Dern really shine.
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MCT:May 31, 2008
This movie drags just a little but overall it is a good retelling of the chaos that was the 2000 election. The performances are good in this film.
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