Our Brand is Crisis

Our Brand Is Crisis is a movie in crisis, propelled by an ill-conceived story that never has a chance. You’re supposed to leave the theater in thought and feeling impassioned – you’ll leave feeling unengaged and indifferent.

We first meet legendary political strategist-turned-burnout Jane (Sandra Bullock) in the snowy mountains of North America. She’s visited by Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Nell (Ann Dowd), who work for the campaign of Bolivian presidential nominee Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida). Ben and Nell recruit Jane to work for the campaign, citing that her longtime rival Pat (Billy Bob Thornton) is working for the opposition. Jane accepts the job, because if she didn’t there wouldn’t be a movie.

Once in La Paz, Jane doesn’t want to be there. Why she accepted the job remains a mystery. Castillo is well behind in the polls, meaning a total strategy makeover is needed. The country is in crisis, Jane says, and it needs someone with Castillo’s experience to get out of it. We learn this approach during two rousing speeches she gives to the campaign team, which are out of character for Jane given that she barely talks to anyone the first few days she’s there. In the film’s few bright spots, political gamesmanship between Jane and Pat plays out in amusing ways, but they’re lighthearted moments in a movie that takes itself seriously.

Director David Gordon Green (Prince Avalanche), working from a script by Peter Straughn, clearly wants to say something meaningful about politics. Instead we have a few high-minded platitudes about doing one’s job and the common notion that campaigns shouldn’t resort to negative advertising against.

Why does the story takes place in Bolivia? It’s a country of relatively little concern to most North Americans, and there’s nothing unique about its location that makes the story’s circumstances interesting. Given that mainstream American audiences aren’t typically drawn to political dramas from Bolivia, I’d say the box office prospects here are minimal, even with Bullock in the lead.

Setting the film in Bolivia becomes all the more surprising upon learning the story is partially based on a 2005 documentary of the same name made by Rachel Boynton. The doc was about United States political marketing campaigns, their tactics, and the long-term consequences of said tactics. I haven’t seen it, but I’m willing to guess Bolivia isn’t mentioned once.

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (2) • Directed by David Green • Starring Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Joaquim de Almeida •Rated R * 107 min • At Century Cinemas Del Monte, Maya Cinemas, Northridge Cinemas.