New Obama movie: more love letter than documentary
| Washington
Barack Obama the Movie debuts Thursday night. No, we鈥檙e not talking another chapter of 鈥淕ame Change,鈥� the new HBO film that dramatizes Sarah Palin鈥檚 rocky launch as a national political phenomenon.
Mr. Obama鈥檚 reelection campaign is advertising 鈥淭he Road We鈥檝e Traveled鈥� as a 17-minute documentary that chronicles the first three years of his presidency. But really, it鈥檚 an infomercial, aimed at reminding the legions who voted for Obama four years ago why they liked him and why they should get excited again 鈥� and donate and volunteer.
A two-minute trailer released Thursday morning begins with the sonorous voice of actor Tom Hanks: 鈥淗ow do we understand this president and his time in office? Do we look at the day鈥檚 headlines, or do we remember what we as a country have been through?鈥�
Clearly, the central theme of the film isn鈥檛 going to be, 鈥淗ow you鈥檙e better off now than you were four years ago,鈥� with unemployment hanging tough at 8.3 percent and foreclosures up in many states. Rather, it will be more, 鈥淗ere are the disasters I have prevented,鈥� whether it be the economic crisis or the impending collapse of the auto industry. Add in health-care reform, and you have a record that may not be popular across the board, but can at least rally the Democratic base. The killing of Osama bin Laden is the kicker.
In fact, the film鈥檚 director, Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim, asserted on CNN last week that the biggest 鈥渘egative鈥� he found about Obama was that 17 minutes wasn鈥檛 enough time to chronicle all his accomplishments. Interviewer Piers Morgan nearly jumped out of his chair.
"Oh, come off it!" he said.
"But where do you find fault in him, personally?" Mr. Morgan tried again. "I don't, frankly," Mr. Guggenheim replied.
OK, so the movie is more love letter than 鈥渄ocumentary.鈥� But at least it gives loyal Democrats a counter-argument to the Obama-bashing that has infused the GOP primaries (when the candidates aren鈥檛 aiming at one another). And independent voters aren鈥檛 likely to see the film, because it takes a certain partisan motivation to find it. So the choice of the controversial Elizabeth Warren as one of the people delivering testimonials isn鈥檛 risky. Ms. Warren, Obama鈥檚 former adviser on consumer protection and now a Senate candidate in Massachusetts, is a rock star to liberals.
The Obama campaign is holding screenings across the US Thursday night, including an invitation-only event for entertainment-industry VIPs in Beverly Hills, Calif. Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt will speak with the audience after, according to The Hollywood Reporter. So will Guggenheim, who won his Oscar for directing 鈥淎n Inconvenient Truth,鈥� the documentary with former Vice President Al Gore. Guggenheim also produced a 30-minute ad for Obama before the 2008 election.
