Recount (film)
Recount is a 2008 television film about the 2000 United States presidential election. The political drama was written by Danny Strong, directed by Jay Roach, and produced by Michael Haussman. It premiered on HBO on May 25, 2008. The DVD was released on August 19, 2008.[2]
| Recount | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official poster | |
| Written by | Danny Strong |
| Directed by | Jay Roach |
| Starring | Kevin Spacey Denis Leary Laura Dern Tom Wilkinson John Hurt Ed Begley, Jr. Bob Balaban |
| Theme music composer | Dave Grusin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Haussman Danny Strong Len Amato Jay Roach Sydney Pollack Paula Weinstein |
| Cinematography | Jim Denault |
| Editor(s) | Alan Baumgarten |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Spring Creek Productions[1] |
| Distributor | HBO |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release | May 25, 2008 |
Plot
Recount chronicles the 2000 U.S. presidential election Bush v. Gore case between Governor of Texas George W. Bush and U.S. Vice President Al Gore. It begins with the election on November 7 and ends with the Supreme Court ruling, which stopped the Florida election recount on December 12.
Key points depicted include: Gore's retraction of his personal telephone concession to Bush in the early hours of November 8; the decision by the Gore campaign to sue for hand recounts in Democratic strongholds where voting irregularities were alleged, especially in light of the statistical dead heat revealed by the reported machine recount; Republican pressure on Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris in light of her legally mandated responsibilities; the attention focused on the hand recounts by media, parties, and the public; the two major announcements by Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters extending the deadline for returns in the initial recount (November 21, 2000) and ordering a statewide recount of votes (December 8, 2000), and later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court; and finally the adversarial postures of the Supreme Courts of Florida and the United States, as well as the dissenting opinions among the higher court's justices.
Production
Director
In April 2007, it was announced that Sydney Pollack was going to be the film's director.[3] By August, weeks away from the start of principal photography, Pollack withdrew from the project due to a then-undisclosed illness.[4] Pollack died of cancer on May 26, 2008, one day after Recount premiered on HBO.[5] Director Jay Roach replaced Pollack.
Filming
Recount was shot in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida.
Cast
Reception
Awards and nominations
2008 Emmy Awards:
- Won: Outstanding Made for Television Movie
- Won: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special (Jay Roach)
- Won: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie
- Nominated: Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie
- Nominated: Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special
- Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Kevin Spacey and Tom Wilkinson)
- Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Bob Balaban and Denis Leary)
- Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Laura Dern)
- Nominated: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special
2009 66th Golden Globe Awards:
- Won: Laura Dern - Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Nominated: Denis Leary - Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Nominated: Tom Wilkinson - Best Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
- Nominated: Kevin Spacey - Best Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
- Nominated: Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
2009 Directors Guild of America Award:
- Won: Jay Roach - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Miniseries
2009 Writers Guild of America Award:
- Won: Danny Strong - Best Writing in Long Form - Original
Reviews
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78%, based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 6.4/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] Mark Moorman of Het Parool, gave the film a rating of four stars on a scale of five, calling Recount an "amazing and funny reconstruction".[9]
Response to fictionalization
Some critics have made charges of bias against the film. Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Recount may not be downright blue, but it's not as purply as it wants to appear. Despite its equal time approach, Recount is an underdog story, and thus a Democrat story."[10] Film critic Roger Ebert disputed claims of bias in his review of the film, stating, "You might assume the movie is pro-Gore and anti-Bush, but you would not be quite right."[11]
In an interview with CNN's Reliable Sources, director Jay Roach responded that the film, "wasn't 100 percent accurate, but it was very true to what went on. ... That's what dramatizations do: stitch together the big ideas with, sometimes, constructs that have to stand for a larger truth." Roach cited All the President's Men as an example.[12] Jake Tapper, an ABC newscaster who was a consultant for the film also stated in response that the film is "a fictional version of what happened" and "tilts to the left because it's generally told from the point of view of the Democrats."[12] The Washington Post further stated that Tapper noted that "while some scenes and language are manufactured, 'a lot of dialogue is not invented, a lot of dialogue is taken from my book, other books and real life.' "[12]
Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters agreed that the script departed from the actual statements he made on live television from the courthouse steps in the fall of 2000. "But the words spoken by the actor who played me [Alex Staggs]," Waters said, "are accurate paraphrasis of the things I actually said or of the documents released by the court at the time."
Warren Christopher, who was sent by Gore to supervise the recount, has objected to his portrayal in the film. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Christopher:
... has not seen the film, but he read transcripts of scenes featuring his character, who is portrayed as a high-minded but naive statesman. In one scene, Christopher, played by John Hurt, suggests to former Secretary of State James Baker, who was spearheading Bush's Florida legal team, that they try to resolve the recount through 'diplomacy and compromise.' 'That's absurd,' Christopher says. 'Both Baker and I knew this would be a fight to the end that only one side could win.'
Baker agreed that the film exaggerated his rival's stance: "He's not that much of a wuss," said Matea Gold of the San Jose Mercury News.[13]
Democratic strategist Michael Whouley has objected to the amount of swearing he does in the film, and was also uncomfortable with a scene involving a broken chair.
In contrast, Bush legal advisers James Baker and Benjamin Ginsberg have largely given the film good reviews; Baker even hosted his own screening of it, though he does refer to the film as a "Hollywood rendition" of what happened.[13]
Gallery
Craig Waters talks with reporters before oral arguments, December 7, 2000
Alex Staggs as Craig Walters during filming on location for the HBO movie Recount, November 3, 2007
The actual Florida Supreme Court listens to December 7, 2000, arguments
HBO reenacts the December 7 argument during filming, November 4, 2007
References
- Fleming, Mike Jr. "Vet Producer Paula Weinstein Joins Tribeca As Exec Veep". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- McCutcheon, David (June 3, 2008). "Recount Dimples DVD's Chad". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- "Pollack 'making Bush poll movie'". BBC News. BBC. April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- "Ill Pollack steps down from film". BBC News. BBC. August 7, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- "US director Sydney Pollack dies". BBC News. BBC. May 27, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Fleming, Michael (September 24, 2007). "Spacey to star in HBO's 'Recount'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- "Recount (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- "Recount Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Moorman, Mark (February 19, 2009). "Siamese punk and a recount". Het Parool. p. A&M 23.
- Flynn, Gillian (May 16, 2008). "Recount". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- Ebert, Roger (May 25, 2008). "Recount". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- Kurtz, Kyle (May 23, 2008). "Truth and Chads Hang In the Balance Of 'Recount'". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Gold, Matea (May 22, 2008). "HBO's 'Recount' revisits hanging chad debacle". San Jose Mercury News. Digital First Media. Retrieved May 26, 2008.