The War Room (1993)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Chris Hegedus
D.A. Pennebaker

Release Date:

January 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Tagline:

They Changed The Way Campaigns Are Won.

Plot:

A documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it.

Plot Keywords:

Campaign | Behind The Scenes | President | Interview | Governor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

James Carville	...	Himself
George Stephanopoulos	...	Himself
Heather Beckel	...	Herself
Paul Begala	...	Himself
Bob Boorstin	...	Himself
Michael Donnilon	...	Himself
Jeff Eller	...	Himself
Stan Greenberg	...	Himself
Mandy Grunwald	...	Herself
Harold Ickes	...	Himself
Mickey Kantor	...	Himself
Mary Matalin	...	Herself
Mitchell Schwartz	...	Himself
Dave Anderson	...	Himself
Collier Andress	...	Himself

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Cyclone Films

Quotes:

Al Gore: Unemployment around the country has gone up; the number of jobs has gone down. The trade deficit has gone up; personal income has gone down. The budget deficit has gone up; consumer confidence has gone down. Poverty has gone up; the number of jobs has gone down. Bankruptcies have gone up, jobs, down; fear, up; hope, down; everything that oughta be down is *up*, everything that should be up is *down*; they've got it upside down, and we're gonna turn it right side *up!*

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Return of the War Room (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Vote Baby Vote

Terrific Non-Fiction Film About Politics In USA

Fascinating, Oscar-nominated documentary about how Bill Cinton's campaign team (led by colorful and charismatic James Carville and brilliant George Stephanopoulis), succeeded in getting him inside the White House. It is bias, but the film provides an interesting look at the political machinery in USA. Clinton himself approved the making of the movie, and I was surprised to see that he did allow a few not-so-flattering moments to be filmed. The movie is even more intriguing if one thinks about Clinton's lowest career moments (the Monica Lewinski scandal, for a example), because one could see a hint of Clinton's weaknesses. For example, there is an eerie moment where Stephanopoulis has a phone conversation with a woman who claimed to have given birth to Clinton's illegitimate child. It would make a wonderful double feature with Mike Nichols' "Primary Colors" (a film loosely based on Clinton's campaign). Highly recommended!