Conventioneers is a very good first film for Mora Stephens.
The romance in the film really worked. I believed that these two people were in love and I liked the "Romeo and Juliet" complexity that their love put them in.
The two main actors were very good, especially Matthew Mabe. He's very attractive and I loved his portrayal of a Republican. The depth of character he gave Dave Massey with his polite manners and gentlemanly nature was very true to life. As was his traits of being willing to listen to others and reach out to them. Massey's optimism is incredibly attractive and you can see why the Democrat Lea Jones (Woodwyn Koons) is drawn to him.
The politics of the film is somewhat balanced, though the filmmakers are clearly left wing, which is evidenced in the quantity of footage of the protests that surrounded the RNC in New York. There are obsessive amounts of footage of Bush/Hitler, Bush is Evil, and Republicans are Stupid signs....ad nauseam! The filmmakers seem to be in awe of the protesters and the political theater they create. Actually the film, perhaps unintentionally, shows just how little protesting accomplishes or matters in the scheme of things.
The telephone call at the end is startling and seems out of character for Massey. However, if the film is trying to say that Massey's character became hardened and cynical from his experiences with "the other side". If that was the film's intention, to make a statement about the breakdown and nastiness of political discourse in America and that this country needs more pre-relationship Massey's in the world, I applaud the film.
