Our Brand is Crisis

Based on a 2005 documentary of the same name, Our Brand is Crisis follows Sandra Bullock’s Jane, a weary political consultant, as she travels to South America to help a controversial candidate (Joaquim de Almeida’s Castillo) win the presidency – with the movie detailing Jane and her team’s ongoing efforts at boosting their client’s reputation among the masses. (There’s also a subplot revolving around Jane’s continuing dealings with a smug rival named Pat Candy, played by Billy Bob Thornton.) It’s an intriguing premise that is, for the most part, employed to compulsively watchable effect by director David Gordon Green, as the movie progresses at a brisk pace and boasts a number of palpably above-average, attention-grabbing sequences – with an early scene in which Bullock’s Jane forcefully lays out her plan to a room of staffers certainly standing as a high-water-mark within the proceedings. Bullock’s striking, commanding performance plays a significant role in confirming the film’s success, undoubtedly, with the actress’ strong work heightened by a more-than-able supporting cast that includes Scoot McNairy, Ann Dowd, and Anthony Mackie. (Thornton delivers, perhaps predictably, a scene-stealing turn that remains a perpetual delight throughout.) And although the picture falters in its final stretch – the silly twist that concludes things leaves a bad aftertaste, to be sure – Our Brand is Crisis nevertheless comes off as a solid little drama that boasts an impressive assortment of positive attributes.

*** out of ****