Journeys With George
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Movie Reviews of Journeys With George
Movie Review: A PIECE OF HISTORY
Summary: 5 Stars
I just re-watched this film and now that George Bush is out of office I think every voter in America should have to watch it. This is an artifact of a different era.Movie Review: Great little movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I hesitate to call this a documentary, it's more a well-edited video diary, and should be judged as such. George Bush is humanized to a great degree, in a way we heard about but rarely ever saw (or see) in the never-ceasing effort to mythologize the man. The relationship between the Governor and Pelosi is kind of sweet and unpretentious. Their encounter over her California absentee ballot, where GWB2 gives her some really amusing politician schtick about why she should vote for him is a great scene. The "Newsweek Man" flirtation theme was also great. One gets the sense that a lot of this press pool was very young, fairly inexperienced, and not nearly as sophisticated as they thought they were. The segues with the Texas print reporters (who, I think, were later responsible for the critical Rove bio "Bush's Brain") were also interesting, they actually knowing something about politics and about Bush. One gives an impromptu monologue analogizing Republican campaigns with a baloney sandwich that is priceless.
One of the most noticeable features is the absence of much real journalism being practiced by the press pool. The closest we get to that is the late revelation of Bush's DUI, and we see Karen Hughes skillfully handling that. She is rarely in the film, but comes across as impressive, especially vis-a-vis Rove's pomposity. But in actuality, the press pool spent most of the time going through the motions, messing around, and being bored in an extended tour. I think a lack of curiosity became their most prevalent trait.
So really, as is seen from the evident relief of other reviewers, this isn't by any means a Bush-bashing movie. Pelosi's liberal pedigree is clear from the start, and actually shapes her friendship with the Governor. He's a lot quicker than she is too, and she knows it. While there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek sequences poking fun at Bush-as-campaigner, most of the irony is directed at the travelling campaign circus, and we get a sense from Pelosi that she thinks of Bush and herself in a similar way: as sort of accidental participants in a fairly surreal process.
So Bush Fans, ever wary of a devious liberal media out to persecute them, can rest easy. JOURNEYS WITH GEORGE, in the end, really critiques the pseudo-journalism of the press pool, and its evident mediocrity. If anything, it goes far to puncture one cherished myth, that the press is of some coordinated liberal conspiracy to destroy their heroes. That requires competence and will. Pelosi's only departure from utter docility was to question Bush about Texas executions, and she quickly retreated to docility after that. One reviewer below apparently sees this sheep-tendency of campaign journalists, "knowing their bounds," as their duty. I tend to think a press obedient to the powerful is anti-thetical to the whole profession, and Pelosi's diary here is one example of why hundreds of millions of dollars are used to run campaigns that the majority of the country is only dimly aware of.
Movie Review: Send in the Clown
Summary: 4 Stars
Future historians of our era will puzzle over George W. Bush. How did a man of seemingly modest gifts and achievements find himself at the helm of the world's most powerful country? And why did he behave so strangely, alternating between grave purposefulness and breathtaking immaturity? Alexandra Pelosi's documentary of her travels with the 2000 Bush campaign will provide useful clues for future archeologists.
Though it is a political film, it contains almost nothing about issues or ideology, and only brief glimpses of tactics. But it is unmatched as a portrait of the sociology of the traveling campaign press corps and its simultaneously symbiotic/antagonistic relationship with the candidate it covers.
At first, Bush appears as a likeable, bantering prankster--more of a master of ceremonies than an aspirant to lead the free world. Like the fraternity president he once was, Bush knows how to create an atmosphere of fun. At the same time, with a slight turn in the mood or setting, he can be an alarming clown. Bush's lack of gravitas momentarily appears to be the central subject of the film.
But it is not. Bush gradually reveals himself to be a more subtle operator. "I am a student of human nature," he tells Pelosi, and the claim rings absolutely true. His jokes and jabs are anything but uncalculated--there is always an edge, either to put the recipients off-balance or to pull them closer to Bush. He uses this jocularity as a form of seduction, as does his campaign at large. The fun in the back of the press plane is not a random phenomenon but an elaborately staged bonding ritual.
Why no 5th star? Pelosi only hints at the larger implications of Bush's seduction of his traveling coterie of reporters. Did they begin to link Bush's success with their own career prospects (i.e., four years as chief White House correspondent)? If so, why didn't the same thing happen with the much more hostile pack of reporters who covered Gore? And how did this shape the result of the election? These questions remain unanswered in a documentary that remains unapologetically within the campaign's "bubble."
Movie Review: George W : What you see is what you get
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been looking for a copy of this documentary for at least two years and finally found it! This is everything a documentary should be. Not only does it cover the essence of what it was like to travel with a presidential campaign, but it also documents the personalities, the nuances, and the the scenes behind the scenes. I was completely mesmerized from beginning to end. It is a chronicle that "moves." As a Bush fan, I had braced myslef for 76 minutes of Bush-bashing, but much to my surprise, the things that liberals make fun of Bush for (the malapropisms, his disdain for micro-managing, and his inherent playful spirit), are the very things that endear him to so many people. NBC reporter Alexandra Pelosi openly admits at the open that she began this project with some deep-seeded biases regarding Republicans. But she balanced thoses biases well - maybe even too well, or we would see this DVD available on more shelves. I would guess that her supervisors back at the network were probably more than a little disappointed with the final product in that George W. Bush comes across as likeable, intelligent, empathetic, and an all around good guy who now happens to be the leader of the free world. The most telling scene into Mr. Bush's persona comes when Alexandra is undergoing some scorn amongst her fellow reporters. She shares in a voice-over how Gov. Bush took her aside and reminded her who her "real" friends truly were. Even though we do not "see" the conversation, Alexandra paints the picture quite well - probably to the chagrin of her mother. After viewing this documentary, I am now more convinced than ever that "what you see is what you get" with GW Bush. This man truly was at the right place at the right time in our nation's history. I am proud that he is our President. This documentary also tells me that liberals "just don't get it" - even when it's staring them right in the lens. Thank you, Alexandra Pelosi, for a job well done. I hope you will be taping Part II in 2004.
Movie Review: Great Political Flick
Summary: 4 Stars
"JWG" is a very entertaining and interesting documentary which allows us to see the President's evolution as a candidate and public figure. I especially enjoyed watching him let his guard down on occasion. Though a bit too much of a video diary by an often-complainy Alexandra Pelosi, it is overall a very good political film.I believe Pelosi's original intention was to smear George W. Bush or show him to be a cretin, but Bush proves himself to be extremely personable and seems to endear himself to the press corps (and us) as the campaign rolls along. The documentary spares us too much commentary and just takes us along for the ride, as a good documentary should. Overall, "JWG" is a great behind the scenes look at an extraordinary man.