Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)

The film claims to be "inspired by true events" but is closer to a work of total fiction and is designed to make us look at our own candidates in an election year who claim there is a crisis and they are the only ones who can fix it.The movie is entertaining as the quirky and unorthodox Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is hired by a Bolivian senator in a presidential bid. Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) is "not trustworthy, not likable, stuck up little a-hole." He also has a smirk and connections to the IMF. Bodine takes on the job because her opponent is managed by Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) a master strategist who has beaten Bodine on several occasions.Castiilo's lack of charm is changed into being a forceful individual who can get the job done in what is now a "time of crisis." Bodine has a history with Candy as the campaign becomes personal. This is an interesting behind the scenes view of campaigns filled with humor and universal political themes.Good job Bullock.Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Sex talk.

In 2002, Bolivian politician Pedro Gallo hires American James Carville's political consulting firm, Greenberg Carville Shrum, to help him win the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. GCS brings in Jane Bodine to manage the campaign in Bolivia. Battling her arch nemesis, the opposition's political consultant Pat Candy, Bodine successfully uses American political campaign strategies to lead Gallo to victory against Victor Rivera. With a fantastic performance by Sandra Bullock and a good supporting cast Our Brand Is Crisis dives into the heart of Politics and shows in a perfect way how a Politician takes power and when he finally wins he lets his people and his country down.

This movie is so underrated on IMDb. A 6? I couldn't believe it. If people are comparing it to the documentary they shouldn't. The movie is not about the actual events though it is based on it. Its about Jane, the campaign strategist, who actually thinks of herself as a good human being but has the knack to turn a political outcome, even for politicians she doesn't like. What really touched me was the ending. It shows how a decision done in a boardroom or a campaigning office, cannot be taken lightly. It also shows maybe winning is not everything. Caste did a good job. The movie is bold and loud. Its funny and charismatic. Its real. Hard 8 out of 10.

This movie was OK...watchable for the most part due to the usual good performances of Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton. An election in Bolivia (partially based on a true story) with behind the scenes goings-on of a professional organization dedicated to a successful campaign by instructing and molding the candidate (portrayed by Joaquim de Almeida).The movie really didn't have much of a "punch". The central subject was actually a very serious one, so the writers had few opportunities to slip in the Sandra Bullock type of humor. Possibly the problem is that so many have come to expect that elections are largely about manipulation so it's no surprise. Or maybe it's that this is the behavior we expect from so many politicians that we've come to accept and it's "no big deal".