| THE CONTENDER |
 2000 - USA
Director:
Rod
Lurie
TIM: Oh yes, there were hot buttons a-plenty to be pushed with this film. There were the issues of privacy, adultery, abortion, right- and left-wing politics and the favorite of all… SEX. All these combined made for an interesting plot and some tense moments for all who watched it. LINDA: This film managed to bring up, I'd say, oh, I don't know, ALL of the political hot issues that exemplify the problems with American politics today. Joan Allen plays Laine Hanson, the first woman appointed to be Vice President (after the previous VP dies in office). The problem is that first she has to go through a Senate hearing where Senator Shelly Runyon (played with venom by Gary Oldman) is determined to bring her down. His secret sources immediately come up with dirt on Senator Hanson, finding out that she was allegedly a very willing participant in a frat-house gang-bang in college, for goodness sakes. And right there my fists became clenched, and stayed that way for the remainder of the movie. TIM: Along with Joan Allen and Gary Oldman, there is the President (played by Jeff Bridges) who not only plays an almost backseat role in the film, but he gives a bit of a comical portrayal of the power of the office. This President seems almost obsessed with stumping the White House kitchen staff, but knows how to push the weight of President. The president’s press secretary, Kermit Newman (Sam Elliot), plays hardball all the way through the film, trying to counter Shelly Runyon’s relentless political assassination on the VP candidate. Runyon’s mission is seemingly assisted by a young Congressman from Vermont, Reginald Webster (Christian Slater), who is sympathetic to both sides of the party lines. He is a Democratic party member working with a Republican confirmation committee. He's an almost “non-character” in the story, but makes some interesting observations. LINDA: Now, The Contender is not subtle in its left-wing leanings. It brings up just about every issue that separates liberals from conservatives in the so-called political fight over the "morality" of this country. The scary thing is, as shocking and graphic as some as the language is in the film, well, it actually isn't that far of a reach from the infamous Starr Report. But, because the film uses such extreme examples to make its point (I mean, a porn-movie-worthy gang-bang, fer cryin' out loud), I don't think it is going to convert any viewers who don't already agree with the views. (One fellow in the audience actually booed the righteous ending of the movie.) TIM: The way The Contender almost force-fed the audience its left-wing views, makes it more controversial. I’m positive that if the script were allowed to be a bit more partial to both sides of the system, it would not be such a pointed story. LINDA: I have to say that even though The Contender was just about as gentle as an Oliver Stone movie in driving its point home, I admit it got a rise out of me. When a movie gets me agitated for two hours because of its content and ideas (as opposed to just bad filmmaking), it must be doing something right. TIM: Amazingly enough, I found myself clenching my teeth most of the way through the movie. The complete extremes of both sides of this story made me a bit agitated at the way our political system works. Although it is a fictional storyline, there are many familiar aspects to true-life politics. It’s amazing how the majority of people turn their heads and look the other direction when it comes to the behavior of our elected officials, but there are some situations that I would rather not have the knowledge of... at all. What is done behind closed doors is nobody’s business, and I would hate to have the scrutiny of the rabid political system rooting around the depth of my closet. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes to a good mental and public attack. You don’t need to be a political person at all, but if you come away with some opinion, the movie has done its job. You may even end up “booing” the screen after the credits start to roll, not because the movie sucked, but because the views and opinions portrayed on screen are not what you believe. |
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