Sunday, May 25, 2008

HBO "Recount" the Reviews are In

Again, due to my far-flung status, I will have to wait to see HBO's "Recount" but I am a big Spacey fan and look forward to hearing what people say about this TV film detailing the events of the 2000 election, recount and controversy in Florida.

Recount tells the story of the immediate aftermath of the 2000 presidential election in the United States, when the state of Florida became a farcical political battleground. With the nation essentially locked in a 50-50 stalemate between Democratic nominee Al Gore and Republican nominee George W. Bush, the election came down to Florida. And Florida couldn't figure out who won.-London Free Press
There is also a wonderful, detailed book about this time call "36 Days" written by correspondents from the New York Times Back to recount, the buzz is that all the principle characters put in stellar performances. I like these folks, and generally respect their work. So this one goes on my must see list.

From the London Free Press again;
Actually, there's only one individual who really gets held up to ridicule in Recount, and that's the woman who was Florida's secretary of state at the time, Republican Katherine Harris, who is played in spectacularly creepy fashion by Dern.

Recount presents Harris as a bizarre combination of vanity and fragility, and as such, she comes across -- and came across in real life, by the way -- as unqualified and unprepared for the significance of her role as, essentially, the person in charge of the election in Florida.

Even Baker knows it. As he watches Harris on TV early in the proceedings, Baker says, This woman is hopeless -- we're going to need some help on this.
All this is pretty ironic as we head toward the showdown on 5/31 and the DNC Rules and Credentials committees make their decision on Michigan, and yes-- Florida delegates for the Democratic primary race.

More reviews of Recount here and here.