The Undefeated

As an Alaskan, I consider this movie a comedy. I could have given it a 10 for that, but the intent was a documentary, therefore, I gave it a low rating. What I find odd is that most documentaries have actual interviews, but this one, used cut and paste of selected dialogue from people who were close to Mrs. Palin. I did not see a good sampling of people on the streets or people who worked with Mrs. Palin who were not part of her buddies. She hired most of her staff from her friends in Wasilla and/or people who were referred by her friends, not in an open way that most employers do. She hired "yes,maam" people, and these are the only ones who are depicted in this film. The person she hired to run the controversial dairy whose only qualification was she "liked cows" is a sampling of Mrs. Palin's CEO abilities. The movie doesn't give the facts about her mayor-ship of Wasilla; she hired a city manager (city of 5,000 population at the time of her election) because she didn't know what to do. She left the city of Wasilla in 21 million dollar debt, whereas before her "CEO" endeavors there was zero debt. Oh, and when the fast growing city needed infrastructure like sewer and water, she built a hockey stadium, and named it after a high school boyfriend.

The way the movie was put together was so insulting to anyone's intelligence, that it had to be a comedy.

The trouble with Sarah Palin is most of us have already made up our minds about her and for the most part negatively. If Stanley Kubrick directed a positive film about her, and threw in all the spaceships, monkeys, atomic blasts and Alex's he could muster, we'd hate it still. We come to this film seeking comedy or horror. And Stephen Bannon is no Stanley Kubrick.

Bit of background. I'm an American living in Barcelona. The Europeans I've spoken about her with, those who've been paying any attention, either loathe her or are genuinely puzzled by her ascension. Bearing that in mind, a Catalan friend obtained a copy through some interwebz magic and invited myself and girlfriend to watch.

From the opening the room was filled with laughter. They were likely relying more on the subs and may have experienced a very different film from myself but our reactions were the same. Laughter, then boredom. A few more snickers then everyone turned their attention away from the screen and to the wine and the company.

Long story short, it was a campaign ad. A very, very long ad that only those smitten by Palin will likely watch.

This is so unspeakably dreadful, by my own assessment I should say no more.

This is not a movie. It's an infomercial and like most infomercials it is riddled with omissions, exaggerations and downright lies. From the erroneous title -- she was defeated twice, once in the Alaskan primary for lieutenant governor and, of course, as John McCain's running mate, through the over-the-top, ridiculous imagery of lions eating zebras, boxers, etc. and let us not forget the mushroom cloud, it would be a total embarrassment to anyone with the brains to know what embarrassment is.

I might have given it one point more if finally someone had told us the real reason the woman quit as governor.

With all the glowing reviews you'd think this film would have a rating over 8, instead of the dismal 1.6 reflective of some of the worst films ever made. This means the people who loved it (or love Sarah Palin) took the time to write a review, while the vast majority who thought it was complete garbage didn't bother. There is only one conclusion one could extrapolate from this: Palin supporters are a dedicated, but very much in the minority.

I don't think this was the worst film ever made, but let's be clear that this was a fluff piece for the main subject. Politically it's no more nor less one-sided than a Michael Moore doc, but at least Michael Moore brings awareness to a particular subject of topical interest rather than simply shameless self-promotion. Even as a bit of propaganda, The Undefeated is heavy-handed, too long, unsubtle, and lacks an engaging narrative structure.

I noticed that most of the positive reviewers also had never reviewed another film besides this one, suggesting they created a profile just to promote The Undefeated.

If you're huge fan of Palin, have $10-15 to burn, and want to spend 2 hours hearing about how wicked her detractors are and how awesome she is, then this documentary might be for you. Or you could just read some of the glowing 'reviews' here and get the gist of the type of person who would love it. Personally, I wish I had accidentally walked into the wrong theater and saw Captain America instead.

I really liked this documentary, and was most impressed with the work of Mr. Bannon. I loved the way he took the narrators from color to black and white...from individual to "everyman". The scenery was spectacular as well.

I had no idea that Sarah Palin had done so much for the good of Alaska. I learned a lot from that part of the film.

And as to the question of vitriol directed against the subject of the film..I can only propose that she is a walking reminder of someone who attempts to live life in accordance with her personal moral and spiritual values. This is a blatant reminder of the hypocrisy in our own lives and those who decry "hate speech" find themselves engaging in it. Let's tear her down and then we'll feel better about who we are. How shameful! "By their (our) fruits you will know them (us)."

Two thumbs up! Good job, Mr. Bannon.