Empty Theaters, 0% Positive Reviews Greet Sarah Palin Documentary
Customarily on Fridays, when a new movie reaches theaters over the howling, nose-pinching, and often very funny protests of the critical establishment, the saltiest of those responses are gathered here for your browsing pleasure. That's given that there is enough of a sample, or that the stinker in question is intended for a broad enough audience for us to advise viewers of the open manhole in their path. And then... there's the Sarah Palin documentary.
Since director Stephen K. Bannon's The Undefeated was announced in May, nobody really expected the Palin-authorized effort to stretch much beyond hagiography. Which is fine: Love her or hate her, there's no denying that Palin is a valuable brand who transcends politics, and the cultural galvanizing that The Undefeated might conduct in Palin's name could have significant influence if done right -- if, say, Bannon eschewed all the reactive fervor of Palin's peers and defenders and instead went on the offensive about leadership and ideology. After all, a beatifying, glorified slideshow like An Inconvenient Truth worked not because right-wing bogeyman Al Gore had legions of fans to make it an Oscar-winning hit (he couldn't even carry his home state, Tennessee, in the 2000 presidential election) or because it really burrowed under the skin of the former senator and vice president. It was because Gore maxed out his post-political goodwill for a specific cause that, again, like it or not, transcended politics.
Believe it or not, that's the Sarah Palin movie that critics and pundits alike sought from The Undefeated. "Plainly, whatever her own blunders as she stumbled onto the national stage, the political portrait of her that emerged was too narrow," wrote Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel in what nevertheless turned out to be a frustrated pan. "I swear I gave The Undefeated a chance, because who wants to writhe in agony for two hours?" wrote confirmed liberal David Edelstein in his own review at Vulture. "I hoped that director Stephen K. Bannon would show a side of Sarah Palin I'd never seen -- I thought it would be so cool if I could give the movie a rave." And that even followed right-leaning Kyle Smith's brutal dismissal of the film last month in the NY Post as "so outlandishly partisan that it makes Richard Nixon look like Abraham Lincoln." (Smith was later disinvited from seeing the reportedly re-edited version of the film opening today; representatives for the film cite not his review, but having allegedly broke a review embargo.)
So is it fair to expect or anticipate something so specific from Bannon and The Undefeated? Maybe, maybe not. Nevertheless, this week's grave reactions to the film suggest not bias, but rather the consequences of Bannon and Co. not even trying.
The film currently boasts a 0 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, a sample presently comprising eight reviews in total and speckled with such varying concentrations of bile as:
· "Bannon depicts Palin's opponents as comic-book villains [...] all united by their "hateful obsession" with Tearing Sarah Down. This cartoonish version of real life is paired with a just-as-caricatured view of Palin, who in this retelling is entirely without blemish, physical or political, and incapable of missteps. (Even the film's title is a whitewashing--she was, in fact, The Defeated as John McCain's running mate.)" -- Anna Merlan, Village Voice
· "Once you realize the film is just going to be a string of encomiums against a backdrop of frantically edited archival material in which few shots are allowed to stay onscreen longer than three seconds, it's clear that no meaningful analysis of the woman's career or political agenda will be forthcoming." -- Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
· "The first hour of The Undefeated, scrupulously attentive to Palin's rise through state politics, is pretty rough going, a turgid primer in Alaska's pipeline management and oil, gas and, yes, milk subsidies. The movie may tempt even the most ardent conservatives to emulate their idol's tenure as Governor and walk out halfway through." -- Richard Corliss, Time
· "The film sticks to her political career, presumably with the thought that it will reinforce her accomplishments in the arena, but in the process, it perversely provides a reminder of that career's limited scope. By the end of The Undefeated, Palin actually seems a more remote figure than at its start, a blank space onto which the film's gallery of supporters are content to project their wishes." -- Alison Willmore, AV Club
Speaking of supporters, check out the curious rave currently atop conservative entertainment site Big Hollywood, where The Undefeated utterly invalidated author Ben Howe's second-guessing about Palin -- with one notable disclosure: "I consider the director of The Undefeated, Stephen Bannon, to be a friend of mine. He's advised me in my own fledgling productions. I've interviewed him a handful of times on my podcast and we always talk for over an hour effortlessly." Ah ha.
Meanwhile, not long after a distributor's report that The Undefeated was packing them in at the AMC 10 in Grapevine, Texas, along came word that the GOP stronghold of Orange County was not proving quite as redoubtable 'round midnight:
I sat there alone for 20 minutes, at which point an usher stuck his head in the door, gave me a quizzical smile, and said, "How come you're not watching Harry Potter?" Then he left me by myself again, and without any good answer.
It isn't strictly accurate to say that I sat through the whole movie alone. Just as the previews started, two young women walked in giggling together and took seats three rows behind me. Afraid that they'd ruined the only story I had at that point -- What If Sarah Palin Starred in a Movie and No One Showed Up? -- I hoped they'd at least oblige me with an interview, and so they did. [...] "We looked online for the latest movie playing," Jessie added. "But all the Harry Potters were sold out, and then we saw The Undeafeated. We don't even actually know what we're seeing." [...] I thought maybe I'd talk to them after the movie, and get the perspective of two people who went in with no expectations. But they only lasted 20 minutes before walking out.
And so the culture war continues -- prophets, acolytes, haters, and ironists, converging from the fringes and mainstream underbrush for some stake in the Palin myth and maybe a few bucks if or when the public's eyeballs stop rolling and actually focus in earnest. But I don't know. It really was a lot more fun when all of this vexation simply meant having a go at talking animals. Presidential prospects, though? Not so much.
[Photo: Getty Images]
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Empty Theaters, 0% Positive Reviews Greet Sarah Palin Documentary ??????????
The movie is available to the public as of today July 15th, so how exactly can you say that the theaters are empty or has no positive reviews? It seems both of those statements cannot possibly be true.
I am going to see the movie today. The first showing was at 11:00 this morning and I plan to attend the second one at 1:50.
I would really like an answer to my question about empty theaters and 0 positive reviews.
The answers you seek are in the long piece I wrote below that headline.
How can 0 percent positive reviews be true? Well, critics do see the movie before it's released!
Unfortunately, "The Undefeated" is going up against some stiff competition at the box office this weekend. Barack Obama's new film, "The Unemployed", is already in wide release. Most people say they can't miss it.
Gee, a bevy of terrible reviews for the new Sarah Palin documentary. Did you expect anything less from a pack of liberal, self-indulgent Obama bootlickers who make their living watching and "writing" about fantasies and pretense?
Oh PLEASE, Vanairsdale. I don't think anything you write provides the answers that anyone is seeking. Get OVER yourself.
By the way, are you a woman or a man in drag? It's hard to tell from your picture.
First of all, the "empty theater" write of was at a midnight showing in California. It's not surprising that people would not go to a movie at midnight when many of them have to go to work the next morning, and it also would not be surprising if "The Undefeated" were not well-received in California, one of the most liberal states in the union. Secondly, "The Undefeated" sold-out in Grapevine Texas (link below):
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/us-undefeated-idUSTRE76E0DO20110715
Allow me to save the time of every political troll who wants to start a fight in the comments section of this article and summarize the avalanche of posts that are sure to come...
Conservative Boilerplate Response: The Liberal Media Hivemind didn't want this film to happen. It's out now, suckers!
Liberal Boilerplate Response: Sarah Palin can't even finish a vacation, much less a political term. The film should be renamed "The Incompleted."
Does that about cover it? Back to Harry Potter, yes?
The movie started at 12:01 am?
Ben Howe of Redstate has a review because he actually saw the movie:
http://www.redstate.com/aglanon/2011/07/14/palin/
Here's the thing... I love Movieline, but there often isn't a lot of talk in the comments section. now suddenly, all these right wing types are coming in out of the woodwork to attack Movieline and defend Palin. I guarantee none of these people are regular Movieline readers. They have Google alerts set up for whenever someone in the "Lamestream Media" talks smack about their Goddess of all that is Right in the world... and then they pounce.
It happens all over... just funny to be seeing it here on Movieline.
To all the Right Wingers reading this: it's not that we simply hate Sarah Palin. It's that her movie is a piece of shit.
If Palin fans were as enthusiastic as Harry Potter fans, SOMEONE would have shown up for the first showing. It shows they'll support Sarah, but they're running out of energy waiting for her to say if she will or won't.
It was a weekday midnight showing but definitely shows Palin fans aren't as charged up as Harry Potter fans. Like Bristol's book, the movie will generate some money, but it's more of the same old stuff that everyone already knows.
Well it is labelled a documentary - not many go to the theatre for that genre. If they call it a black comedy it might do better.
Right on, JoJo. Movieline is about movies and how well they are made, etc.!
I can't stand Sarah Palin and wouldn't set foot in a movie theater showing anything about her. But come on, making generalizations ("Empty Theaters") while attending a midnight showing??? The far right hasn't stayed up that late since Dewey defeated Truman!
Want to know the reason behind the empty theater? Well, here ya go, read this: http://freedomist.com/2011/07/conor-friedersdorf-stages-empty-theater-showing-of-the-undefeated-palin-movie-msm-scam-exposed-freedomist/
Did this guy seriously think no one would want to know WHY he was the only one at a showing that was unadvertised???
Not true. I live in orange county, CA. It is now 12:00pm. the 1st shows was start at 11:00 am and it last for 2 hours. It meant it will finished at 2:00pm. You are a lier. Stop making thing up.
@CandidateForWax
That a photo of Tyler Perry as Medea, you dope.
It's amusing to see all the nutters turn out to post comments on a site they've never visited before in their lives, just because one of the crackpot blogs they read tells them to.
Just as amusing is using "The Undefeated" as a title for a movie whose subject was not only defeated, but also quit the only thing she ever won. But of course the target audience is too brain dead to see that.
If the blind lead the blind, they'll both walk into a tea party rally.
Thanks, Jojo. The same thing happened with the Streep/Thatcher story from a few weeks ago; a pretty classy, impartial, dignified-looking biopic was suddenly reason to tear into liberal Hollywood. I don't get the rage, but it is the Internet, so I get the inescapability of it. (Sort of.)
LOL - Hey, don't believe all us seniors love Palin - my husband and I cannot stand her, as she is such a phony. Get on the Anchorage, AK newspaper sometime and you will see that many people in Alaska no longer are supportive of her. She's known as the quitter ex-governor.
Of course her trolls are on here and many other sites seeking to glorify her, and making it appear the movie is a huge success. Actually, it will probably be a big flop, like her bus tour and book signing with Bristol. BTW, we know other seniors who also are NOT fans of hers!
Dude, go to Burning Man, you'll shit yourself from all the men in drag. It's awesome! 😀
"She is such a morally upstanding woman that her daughter had a child out of wedlock, then claimed to be raped by her boyfriend (which she did not report to ANYONE) and continued having sex with her boyfriend because she figured what the hell, she was already deflowered, what difference did it make?"
Uh, no offense, but what exactly do her daughter's decisions have to do with her moral standing? And furthermore, what exactly is wrong with having a child out of wedlock? Are you one of those puritans posing as liberals?
Why does so many people hate Palin? I went to the documentary to get another side of the story. You know . . . CONTRAST! I come out the of the documentary and said, "WOW!" This dumb, back country, non-reading mother of five with a dysfunctional family takes on the fat cats of Alaska and wins! She took all of the toys away from the good old boys club and now they are out to destroy her. Big oil is not only in Alaska. If Palin became president she would do the same to Washington and we can't have that! So, destroy, destroy, and destroy. Go see the documentary and decide for yourself.
Nice to know. Anonymous commenters can make fun of S.T. because his icon is of a man dressed as a woman, but a comment that criticizes Sarah Palin for being a hypocrite is deleted. I apologize to whoever I offended. From now on, I will only say the most glowing things about her.
Sarah Palin hold herself up as a "family values" politician, which in her case means she's against gays, single mothers, and whatever other weird Biblical views are the current fashion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a child out of wedlock. But when you set yourself up as some moral superior to everyone else, I'm sorry Trace, but the fact that your daughter has sex and then claims that she was a victim of rape says a lot about the bizarre pseudo-Christian atmosphere she was raised in. Bristol had sex with a boy she liked. There is no shame in that. But because of her mother's politics, she felt like she had to spin it into this bizarre, he raped me but since he'd already done it once, I figured why not go for it again, story, it made a mockery of the crime of rape. If your definition of a Puritan is someone who thinks rape should never be used as a politically acceptable excuse, then I am by all means a Puritan. Do you know how many women have been violated because they drank too much, because they were drugged, because they were thought of as nothing but receptacles? For Bristol to use their pain and heartache as a politically correct way to excuse having sex with her boyfriend not only reflects on what a despicable person she is but also reflects on how twisted her mother is.
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