Game Change Is Divisive

Julianne Moore and Ed Harris get praise, but the movie leaves critics divided
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 8, 2012 1:57 PM CST

HBO's adaptation of Game Change debuts this weekend, and unlike the book, it's based entirely on Sarah Palin. Critics have gotten a look already, and here's what they're saying:

  • It's a good movie, argues Hank Steuver of the Washington Post, and Julianne Moore is "eerily perfect." But it will play differently for different people. "If you are eternally baffled by Palin’s rise, then please enjoy the horror flick," but Moore makes Palin human enough for supporters to enjoy it as a "psychological thriller." Of course, "if you're just a politics wonk, then it's basically porn."

  • But James Poniewozik of Time disagrees. "Even to this non-Palin supporter, it all feels like piling on—the campaign as blooper reel," he writes. "The movie generally focuses on an SNL-style portrayal" of Palin. Forget the fights over Game Change's accuracy: "a movie can be accurate and still bad."
  • "There's no point trying to argue that Game Change is a 'fair' film," writes Ken Tucker of EW, though its central theme—that politics has become entertainment—applies to both parties. "Believe me, this is one big fun ride," he says. But afterward, it's "depressing to contemplate."
(More Game Change stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X