Recount (NR, 2008)

common sense media says

Talky, smart docu-drama about 2000 presidential mess.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is abundant profanity and a vulgar dialog reference to the sex scandal involving former President Bill Clinton. The cast of characters is split between Democrats and Republicans, with the script suggesting (but not as shrilly as documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 did) that the Republicans used thug tactics, smears, and cronyism to unfairly win the 2000 presidency (although some of the dialog refers to Democrats behaving just as unethically to "steal" past elections). There is also some social drinking.

Positive messages: While some characters, such as Warren Christopher and James Baker, seem more gentlemanly (and less profane) than others, each character, Democrat or Republican, seems to believe he or she is doing the proper thing, fighting in court to get the "rightful" president in office. Ron Klaim, who initially feels resentful against the Al Gore team for ousting him, regains his sense of party loyalty. The overtly religious (and Republican) Katherine Harris, who thinks her part in all this is the work of God, may look a little ridiculous, and there is a sense that the Republicans here stooped to dirty tricks (like organizing violent mobs of demonstrators) more so than the Democrats, even though their dialog refers to episodes in history when the Democratic Party got away with "stealing" elections.
Violence: Scuffling in a protest-riot.
Sex: Crude verbal reference to President Bill Clinton's oral-sex scandal.
Language: "S--t" and frequent use of "f--k" -- so much so that one character is scolded for it (not that it changes him much).
Consumerism: Mainly the names of major news channels and media agencies.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Social drinking and smoking.

More on Recount

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the characters and their motivations. Do you think this drama is unfair to one side or the other in the Bush-Gore rivalry, or does it "tell it like it is"? Do viewers feel any differently about the George W. Bush presidency after this film?

What's the story?

What's the story?
This HBO movie is based on actual events and people involved in the bizarre climax of the 2000 presidential contest between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush, a verrrry narrow race in which thousands of crucial but botched votes from several counties in Florida were never conclusively tallied. On election day night, Gore is on the verge of conceding victory to Bush when Democratic campaign advisor Ron Klaim (Kevin Spacey) realizes that the error factor makes the vote too close to call. The Democrats file lawsuit after lawsuit demanding that the election be put on hold while a painstaking hand recount of each ballot take place -- considering the poorly designed punch cards, the faulty ballot machines in some urban (Democrat) neighborhoods, and the senior citizens who confusedly voted for the wrong candidate. The Republicans, meanwhile, want to stand by the early polls making Bush the clear winner. With growing impatience and anger, they see the whole controversy as the desperate Democrats trying to disqualify votes and steal the White House on technicalities.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Bush and Gore are only on the margins of this saga, with starring roles instead given to the personalities of campaign strategists and the quirks of a too-fallible election system and temperaments poorly designed to handle near-tie votes. How much you enjoy RECOUNT probably depends on what you thought of the Bush election and presidency (guess it's no "spoiler" that he won). If you consider it a shame, this is a scorching expose on What Went Wrong. If you think the Bush Administration the best thing ever, devoting nearly two hours to the fraught election may seem pointless and liberal-biased -- given that the Democrats come across as underdogs, and there is a what-if tone of regret that the recount did not proceed the way they wanted.

Compared to Bush-bashing documentaries such as Fahrenheit 911 and Unprecedented (which practically convict the GOP of racketeering), this scripted version is relatively fair and sympathetic to both ends. On a personal level, the focus is on Ron Klaim's conversion -- from disappointment over his earlier ouster from his job with the Democrats to a fighter with a renewed zeal to get his candidate in office. In the end we learn that the Republican's front man, James Baker (Tom Wilkinson), isn't very different, as he also harbors emotional loyalty to Bush, separate and distinct from dishonorable concerns of power, ideology, oil, or money.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: HBO
Director: Jay Roach
Cast: Bob Balaban, John Hurt, Laura Dern
Genre: Drama
Run time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release: May 25, 2008
DVD release: August 19, 2008
MPAA Rating: NR

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

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