Does “every vote count”? Strange as that question may sound, we are currently stuck in a democratic primary in which Barack Obama has a pledged delegate lead that cannot be overcome and yet Hillary Clinton is still shouting from the rooftops that not all votes have been counted as she still claims an overall lead in votes thanks to the current rule breaking primaries held in Florida and Michigan. Well, this is not the first time Florida has found itself in the middle of a political shit-storm. HBO’s “Recount,” which airs this Sunday, May 25, astutely tells the story of the 2000 Presidential election in such a non-satirical and straight-forward way that it is hard to believe they were able to pull it off and remain entertaining or even cohesive for that matter.
“Recount” tells the story of the controversial Florida election process as it became the ultimate decider in the 2000 Presidential election between Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush. The film features Kevin Spacey as Ron Klain fighting for the blue while Tom Wilkinson is in the opposing corner wearing the red shorts. This is the role Spacey was made for, not the childish role he played in 21 earlier this year, and he is just the man to butt heads against Wilkinson who once again shines in his second HBO feature this year after superbly playing Benjamin Franklin in the “John Adams” mini-series.
However, as much as I loved both Spacey and Wilkinson, the real weight of the story fell on Laura Dern’s shoulders as Florida’s Secretary of State Katherine Harris. As botched as the stories of hanging chad (one thing you will learn is that “chad” actually is the plural of “chad”) and butterfly ballots became, Katherine Harris as a political figure is one you won’t soon forget after watching this film and she became the soul reason this film is to be taken seriously rather than one big joke.
“Recount” is played straight-faced even though some of the outcomes and instances are so outlandish they wouldn’t even be considered were this story to be a tale of fiction. Katherine Harris first appears, caked with makeup and seemingly clueless, yet she isn’t made fun of. We are left to look and listen as are the rest of the characters in the film as her decisions soon begin to shape what was a far bigger debacle than I ever realized.
My knowledge of the 2000 Florida recount was limited at best. However, I still think Gore was right to concede when he did as things weren’t getting any better, and even though he damn well may have actually won the election. That is now a question that may never be answered and one that is posed by Ron Klain in the film as you begin to really feel his pain.
With as many twists and turns the story takes you will be shocked at just how adept director Jay Roach is at keeping things clear, concise and to the point without too much fluff, as it uses actual newscasts from the time to tell the story between the lines. This is surprising considering Roach is primarily known for his comedy features which includes the Fockers and Austin Powers films. Don’t get me wrong, “Recount” has its fair share of comedy, but it isn’t over the top comedy as it takes the subject matter of the film seriously enough that you can respect it and accept it as a retelling of the situation that occurred rather than an endless barrage of political jokes.
Denis Leary is great in a limited role as Democratic consultant Michael Whouley and a moment between Whouley and Klain in which Klain tells him, “You know you say fuck a lot?” is just priceless. It’s that kind of humor that you get with this film, a few off-the-cuff one-liners to keep you on your toes, but nothing that overwhelms the true object of the feature, which is to present what can only be described as an insane situation ending in such a way that you can’t believe anyone would say it truly is over.
Ed Begley Jr. and Bruce McGill are also featured in the inspired cast, made up of actors that I would never choose to replace a single one of them. I expected a lot from this movie based on the trailer and I actually got more than I expected. It was intelligent, quick witted, funny and informative, which are all words I hope the filmmakers intended on hearing when they set out to make it.
“Recount” airs on HBO Sunday, May 25 at 9 PM with a second showing on Monday, May 26, also at 9 PM. I have attached the trailer just below and you can get a look at our gallery of 19 images by clicking here.
