The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress (2006)
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56% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(101 ratings)
In 1984, Tom DeLay was first elected to Congress as a Republican representative from Sugar Land, TX. DeLay wasted little time making his presence known in the House of Representatives, and earned the nickname "the Hammer" for his forceful style of insuring his GOP colleagues voted as party leaders… More In 1984, Tom DeLay was first elected to Congress as a Republican representative from Sugar Land, TX. DeLay wasted little time making his presence known in the House of Representatives, and earned the nickname "the Hammer" for his forceful style of insuring his GOP colleagues voted as party leaders wanted, and for his habit of making life difficult for those who opposed him. DeLay became the House Majority Leader in 2002, and made no secret of his opposition to many major government programs (he said it was his goal to eliminate the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy, among other things) and his support of big business. A large number of major corporations courted DeLay's support, and DeLay did not forget those who helped him. However, DeLay's desire to help his wealthy associates led to a major scandal in 2005 when he was indicted by a grand jury in Texas, led by district attorney Ronnie Earle, on charges of criminal conspiracy to violate election laws after the discovery of evidence linking DeLay to money laundering and diverting illegal political contributions to his PACs. The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress is an activist documentary which examines DeLay's rise to power, his controversial style and methods, Earle's campaign against him, and the struggle to remove corporate influence from Congress. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- PG, 1 hr. 17 min.
- Directed By
- Mark Birnbaum, Jim Schermbeck
- Genres
- Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
- In Theaters
- May 19, 2006 Limited
- On DVD
- Jun 20, 2006
- Studio
- Brave New Films
Critic Reviews
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Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Gains immeasurably from the extended presence of Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle.
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Kyle Smith, New York Post
The slipshod documentary The Big Buy plays Whac-a-Mole with Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader who recently stepped down in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal.
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Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Styled as a film noir -- possibly because the shoestring budget precluded adequate lighting -- the movie guides us through the events leading up to Mr. DeLay's indictment for illegal use of campaign contributions in the 2002 Texas Legislature elections.
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Joe Leydon, Variety
The scrappy small-budget pic remains persuasive throughout, and occasionally offers 'Gotcha!' moments that are laugh-out-loud funny.
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Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News
Unapologetic partisanship underscores the central question and problem of The Big Buy: For whom and what is it intended?
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