Maybe Warren Christopher isn’t the most supercilious, ineffectual man on the planet. But you wouldn’t know it from this movie.
“Recount,” premiering Sunday at 7 p.m. on HBO, is an all-star indulgence that may provide grim satisfaction for those who believe the 2000 election was stolen for George Bush by his brother, Jeb, then Florida governor, and his cronies. If you’re among those clinging to a “Re-elect Gore” bumper sticker, you’ll get a kick out of this reconstruction.
Then again, it’s the Democrats who have been most critical of the film as scripts and clips have slipped out.
“Recount” purports to reveal the human drama, eccentric personalities and cheap shots behind the headlines as the disputed election played out. As if we needed to ignite more Red State-Blue State vitriol to supercharge today’s politics.
The film opens with elderly Jewish voters in Palm Beach famously flummoxed by the confusing punch-card ballots. Imagine their shock when they realize they’ve accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan! Clips of the media coverage — there’s Dan Rather spewing aphorisms faster than a barefoot frog on hot Texas asphalt — are mixed with fictionalized scenes to lend authenticity. We miss Peter Jennings anew.
Like the election itself, “Recount” ought to be considered black comedy. The bizarre rulings and suspenseful turns are still hard to believe. Given its timeliness, “Recount” is a painful sort of fun, and likely a great argument starter.
What the film doesn’t purport to be: an exact chronicle of history. Many private conversations and closed-door meetings are imagined and interpreted. Those with a stake in the outcome are already on the record protesting their portrayals. (Christopher, who represented the Dems in the proceedings, has denounced his depiction as a wimp, GOP lawyer James Baker has seconded that criticism.)
The surreality of the whole peculiarly American affair that was Florida in the 2000 election is triggered with each discovery. “Hanging chad,” “dimpled chad,” “butterfly ballot”— see the catch-phrases being born.
At the same time, the casting is a delight. The tremendous Tom Wilkinson is sly as James Baker; Kevin Spacey holds the piece together as Ron Klain, Gore’s former chief of staff; Denis Leary adds comic notes as Gore’s field operative. John Hurt plays Christopher as elegant and weak; Ed Begley Jr. plays David Boies, appellate lawyer for Gore, as a bit of an idiot savant. And Laura Dern could be nailing a “Saturday Night Live” parody sketch in her turn as Harris. Perfect lookalikes are cleverly cast as the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Christopher get the worst rap, mocked as bringing an overly dignified manner to a situation Baker rightly recognized as a street brawl. Respect for the Constitution is one thing, but being too well-mannered to play politics is another.
To its credit, the script conveys both how fragile and how strong the process is, and how subject to manipulation by clever lawyers.
May sweeps to date
The sweeps end Wednesday. With 17 of 20 nights counted, the late news race sorts out this way: While its broadcast competitors lost viewers, KUSA-Channel 9 gained audience and remained dominant.
Monday-Sunday at 10 p.m., KUSA draws a 9.9 rating, KCNC has a 6.9 rating, KMGH-Channel 7 has a 5.7 rating. The 9 p.m. newscast on KDVR- Channel 31 pulls a 5.1 rating against KWGN-Channel 2’s 2.0 rating and KTVD-Channel 20’s 1.8 rating.
KUSA’s late news audience grew 4.2 percent compared with last May. KCNC, which switched anchors in advance of the sweeps, declined by 2.8 percent. KMGH, which was closing in on second place last year, fell 14.9 percent this May. We’ll know the demographic breakdown, which determines ad rates, in June.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
