Game Change Director Jay Roach Talks Back Over Sarah Palin Pic
One thing about Sarah Palin, she has staying power. People on the left and right love and hate her (or both) and as Mitt Romney gears up to choose his potential Veep, it's hard to imagine whoever it is will have the same cultural impact as Palin. Movies have been made about her including the pro-Palin doc The Undefeated (2011) directed by Stephen K. Bannon which is inspired by her book Going Rogue: An American Life and then there was, of course, the reality show set in her home state where she served part of a term as governor in Sarah Palin's Alaska. But countless on-TV appearances later another film - this time, made for HBO - brought out star-wattage and more controversy in Game Change, which the filmmaker recently spoke about including his frustration at negative feedback from both sides of the political spectrum.
Directed by Jay Roach and starring Julianne Moore as the Palin herself along with Ed Harris (as McCain) and Woody Harrelson, the film followed Arizona Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign from his selection of Palin as his running mate and his ultimate defeat, some would say due in large part to Palin's much ballyhooed public and media gaffes including her ill-fated interview with then CBS News anchor Katie Couric in which she had difficulty picking a newspaper that she reads daily and taking some geographic liberties with Russia's proximity to Alaska.
Game Change was not Roach's first foray into campaign controversy. His earlier HBO film Recount, which followed the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore that ended up in the Supreme Court, giving the election to Bush, won three Emmy Awards in 2008. Roach told The Hollywood Reporter he tried on numerous occasions to reach out to Palin to cooperate on the film to no avail. He even tried tracking her down at a string of parties around the time of the White House Correspondents dinner last year. "I really thought I would go up to her and say, 'Hi, my name’s Jay Roach and I’m doing this film about the McCain-Palin campaign...I’m sincerely trying to get the story right and it’d be great if you want to talk about it and tell a story with even more layers and depth.' So it would’ve been the world’s most awkward conversation; she’d already said 'no'."
Roach took heat for portraying Palin as falling apart at the seams in the wake of the Couric interview, though Roach said he and Moore were trying to find empathy for the V.P. candidate, telling THR, "What might that have been like, to have been surrounded by people you don’t trust anymore, to have to experience so much public humiliation and mockery and, you know, widespread judgment?"
And what about the heavy response on both sides of the proverbial aisle once the film hit HBO? "I think I was annoyed by the fact that the people who were attacking the film hadn’t seen it, and they said, 'We haven’t seen it, but we hate it,'" said Roach. He noted that some people thought it was too sympathetic though he said he thinks that crowd had likely expected it to be more critical.
And now Roach is taking on the political front again, but this time it will be a fictional story (though one can't help but speculate there will be ample 'truth' to the story). His next film The Campaign will star Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as two opponents fighting it out in North Carolina.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
And what's your feedback on Palin's media portrayal?
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Comments
The movie was terrific. It's ironic how diligent everyone involved in the movie was to "be accurate" when their subject, Palin, has consistently shown no regard for the truth in any form. I wish everyone would stop defending their honor, it isn't necessary. Palin continues to prove herself to be a vulgar, self serving narcissist with an inferiority complex. You don't, and won't, ever see her hold herself to any honorable standard. So take a bow for a job well done and get off the defensive.
How has she been vulgar?
She's vulgar when she refers to cajones, limp men, and many other sexual references. She's a pig.
Barbie, When you resort to name calling, are you any better?
The movie was a waste of time and was not tasteful at all. Mr. Roach, stick to your fictional movies. Stop making awful movies. GAME CHANGE 1/5 stars. Also to the guy above me: "vulgar" is never a word i thought would describe the governor. Your obvious hate for her shows in your comment. are you gay or a liberal?
Whoa....easy man. "Are you gay or a liberal?" Was there reason for such a hateful/homophobic comment? All you're doing is making yourself look bad and making your own comment look unprofessional and thoughtless hate.
Did you actually watch the movie? The movie was plenty tasteful. Yeah, it showed the bad of Palin, but it also showed the good, it showed how volatile the entire political process was and how going in nobody really knew what they were doing.
Was it a phenomenal film? No, it was decent, but it does a good job showing how nobody knew what they were getting themselves into. Was Washington ready for Palin? No. But Palin wasn't ready for Washington either. Was it biased? Yeah, sure, a little, but it's pretty fair considering the average political film you'll stumble upon in this day and age.
No need to be a douche. Learn how to contribute thoughtful comments before you pollute message boards with hate.
I know Steve Myers, and he is gay, liberal, and smelly.
As a Rep. I thought the movie was pretty fair, but there were the over the top moments that made me groan. (For the first time ever, I didn't vote!). That made me laugh especially since the best performance Palin had was against Biden. Did she get a fair shake? Probably not. Did she deserve some of the scrutiny – absolutely.
My problem with the movie was that it should just been called the McCain/Palin story. I read the book and they skipped over John Edwards, O's issues and anything else that showed Dems in a negative light. Don’t say the film is fair when you are going to attack just one side. I’m off to watch Primary Colors for the 100th time.
They keep trying to re,invent the palins. Bristol keeps coming out and re inventing her self, Each time it is the real bristol or sarah and when that does not work another attempt is made. How ironic when the country should flush the senators and congress down the toilet we can only have a conversation about hillbillies, who are pregnant underage, drinking, beer, damaging school buses, vulgarity, homophoic slurs, oxycotin, the list goes on and on and the country is sliding further away from reality.
just my humble thought
Sarah Palin at the time she was picked to be a VP by a desperate man, she was under investigation for 'ABUSE of Power' and had show Alaskans how completely incompetent and unethical she really is.. Staying Power? That's primarily because media can't get enough of a trainwreck! Sarah Palin, 'whackadoodle from Wasilla' is to this day a liar, cheat and political whore!
You are sooooooooooo correct Sherry!
Sarah has sooooooooooo much staying power that SHE QUIT the esteemed position and office of governor when she threw her oath of office into Lake Lucille on July 3, 2009.
In the real world, that's not how one would describe having staying power. HA!
She quit because staying was bankrupting her. Now she is rich and powerful. Even you could not resist clicking on a story about her, or adding a comment.
Bull crap...she quit for two reasons....money and fame. She wants so badly to be a Hollywood celebrity. She doesn't give a crap about this country. The only thing she cares about is Sarah AKA lying quitter.
So we agree about the money part at least. She was going bankrupt as governor, now she makes lots of money. Lots of money is a good thing, unless you are some sort of socialist. Hollywood celebrity? Not hardly, she has turned into a powerful political kingmaker. Check out how her endorsements have done, for example Deb Fischer in Nebraska, Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Susana Martinez in New Mexico, and Mary Fallin in Oklahoma. There are lots more, but I hope you get the point. However, judging from the vitriol of your posts, you are a hateful bitter person. I will pray for you tonight.
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