Rank: 3/5
Ten minutes into “Our Brand Is Crisis,” the regret of buying overpriced movie tickets sank in while shuffling into the theater seat in anticipation of spending the next hour and a half of life bored and fighting the urge to sleep.
Once Sandra Bullock’s performance turned on and her character “Calamity” Jane Bodine emerged in full force, so did the movie.
Bodine is an American campaign strategist known for her manic, yet brilliantly focused, form. While taking a hiatus from her work after several campaign failures, she’s pushed to help construct a presidential campaign for an unpopular senator in Bolivia. Once she discovers her nemesis works for the opponent, her cannon erupts the political game.
While trailers and teasers might lead you to shrug off the film as just another scheme of politics, the plot is based on the public relations side of a campaign and the methods behind it, rather than the campaign itself. This results in a thought-provoking storyline that can entertain all, regardless of either — or any — political party affiliation.
As the title details, the strategy for Bodine’s campaign is to instill panic into the country and brand her candidate as the solution to a socioeconomic crisis. In true Hollywood form, moviemakers sensationalized the plot a stereotypical party scene, where drunken escapades unfold with hyped-up music. This added droll humor to the otherwise dry comedy of the rest of the film.
“Our Brand Is Crisis” featured more suspense than anticipated — at the same time including the expected — with riots, high-speed chases and more.
To add more glamour and sex appeal in line of the usual movie paradigm, Bodine shows off bare skin and fancies a chic wardrobe. The costume design for her character is on the same level as what Rachel Green from “Friends” did for women’s business casual attire. Give a woman cropped, cigarette-skinny trousers, a blazer, stylish eyewear and loafers, and she can rule this country.
The few political problems examined in the movie followed the usual blueprint, too — empty promises and mudslinging with or without substance.
But while campaign season serves as a transitional time for the political structure of a country, it also symbolizes a shift in Bodine’s life as she ultimately finds her calling elsewhere.
“Our Brand Is Crisis” has low ratings from its flop in box office sales, but that could be attributed to last weekend’s Halloween festivities. Despite its rocky start — both in profits and plotline — the film inspires wit and intriguing entertainment.