I hope you caught the premiere of the HBO TV movie Recount last night (Sunday). If you missed it, don't despair; there are many encores on the schedule and if you're lucky enough to have HBO on Demand you can find it there, too.
Why do I hope you watched it, and why is it perfect for Memorial Day? Because it will cause you to reflect upon the state of the nation, to put your notion of love of country up against the notion of self-interest, and figure out which way 
America is going.
America is going.
It's quite a story, Recount is, all about the disputed 2000 Florida Presidential election results, and what happened behind-the-scenes that made us wake up one morning with George Bush as President-elect. Depending upon your politics you will think that was a very good thing, or it still depresses you. (I am still very depressed.)
I haven't even given you the good news about Recount, which is that the production is terrific. The cast is impressive -- Kevin Spacey, Dennis Leary, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Wilkinson,
Laura Dern, Bob Balaban, John Hurt -- and you most certainly won't be bored. In this current election year, as the very mechanisms of voting are still in many ways as fallible -- if not more -- as in 2000, it just doesn't feel good to think your country might not be even be able to pull off a fair election process. (If you are further interested in the issue, I recommend the chilling HBO Documentary Hacking Democracy which has some additional plays coming up very soon. If Recount doesn't sadden you, this doc certainly will.)
I'll climb down from my soapbox now, but don't forget to watch Recount, will you?
I thought "Recount" was going to be a comedy, boy was I ever wrong. Laura Dern was amazing. And I'll watch Denis Leary in just about anything, especially when he turns his natural Boston accent back on. Leave it to HBO to create a political re-enactment that leaves the viewer intrigued no matter what side of the partisan fence they favor. For me, that would be firmly straddling the middle. Like Humpty Dumpty, I fear I'm in for some shattering surprises come November.
ReplyDeleteI also got the impression -- wrongly -- that it was more of a satire, but it sure wasn't! I also loved Leary...well, they were all good, of course. I don't know how anybody on either side could feel GOOD about what happened down there, that's for sure. Absolutely intriguing, as you say. Hope lots of people watch it and do some thinking.
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