After a scandal, campaign expert Jane (Bullock) withdrew to live far from the chaos. And now she's been convinced to return to lead a team (including Mackie, Dowd and McNairy) helping the out-of-touch Castillo (Almeida) regain momentum in his candidacy to be Bolivia's next president. As she adjusts to the high altitude in La Paz, Jane is annoyed to discover that her long-time rival Pat (Thornton) is running the campaign of Castillo's populist competitor (Arcella). So Jane brings in a secret weapon (Kazan) and cleverly rebrands the election as an urgent solution to Bolivia's "crisis".

Director Green keeps the film's tone on the loose side, which is somewhat disorienting for a story that's actually very serious. To do this, he focusses on Bolivia's colourful culture, avoiding the country's more sophisticated, modern aspects to create a wacky, uncivilised setting. This oddly lowers the stakes, making a nation of nearly 11 million people seem almost like an inconsequential plaything for political puppet-masters. But perhaps that's the point.

Of course, Bullock can effortlessly bridge any gaps between comedy and drama, and she's terrific as the self-deprecating grump who returns to life running a campaign for a candidate she doesn't like. Her cynicism is cleverly balanced by her love of the game, and Bullock shines in both silly and moving moments. On the other hand, she has very little to play against, since the supporting roles are so thinly written. The entire cast is excellent, but their considerable skills are underused.

The film has a crackling wit that holds the attention, mainly because the themes are so resonant, even if for every razor sharp moment there's a scene that feels eerily tepid. And much of the the energetic nuttiness is rather pointless. In the end, this is a terrific story about how easy it is for a relatively small number of people to manipulate voters and change the course of history. Which makes the film both important and scary.

themes, language

10.Nov.15