Spinning Boris

I resisted seeing this movie for some time. Not sure why - probably because the title put me off. However it is one of the funniest, sharpest movies I have seen in many a year and I have to agree with "Filmdome" that it has something of "Dr Strangelove" about it. The notion that three American political consultants could go over to Russia and successfully assist Boris Yeltsin to win the 1996 election would be ludicrous if it weren't for the fact that it is true! The three protagonists Jeff Goldblum (George), Anthony LaPaglia (Dick) and Liev Schreiber(Joe) have great on-screen rapport and charisma which only serves to heighten the manic atmosphere and paranoia of the piece. The notion that they can't trust anyone pervades the film giving this satire an added dimension; all their most private thoughts and plans have to be expressed on the balcony to their apartment. Even the CIA have them bugged. Their only respite appears to be in the bar at the hotel where a rather bad Russian Elvis Presley impersonator befriends them and offers invaluable information as to the Russian psyche. The film is interspersed with genuine footage from the campaign, plus Yeltsin's bizarre dancing episode which I'm sure any of you out there with long memories must remember as it was one of the most surreal bouts of electioneering ever to have been televised! Naturally George, Dick and Joe are equally unimpressed. Goldblum is touching in his gentle and restrained romancing of Tatiana (Yeltsin's daughter)though I suspect that in reality this did not happen. Dick turning blue in a snowstorm on the tarmac at the airport and barricading the door to their apartment on election night while Joe hides under his jacket, and the musical car journey back to the airport at the end of the film are just a hint at the great moments in this very good movie.

It's funny enough as a 'what if?' scenario. But knowing that this movie is based on a true story makes it much more interesting and fun. Three seasoned political consultants accept the job of getting Boris Yeltsin re-elected. Obviously, they find that things work a little differently in Russia. At times, it seemed there was the inclination to go a little over the top (both in plot and in performance), but Goldblum, LaPaglia and Schreiber manage to keep it within bounds most of the time. Cut-ins of actual footage of the before-and-after candidate on the stump balance the falseness of the zany factor. Flaks and reporters will enjoy this film. So will anyone who takes politics seriously.

This film is a riot! It is like a political comedy version of "THE WIZARD OF OZ." Only here, Jeff Goldblum is the metaphorical scarecrow,Anthony LaPaglia, the cowardly lion and Liev Shreiber is like the tinman...leading the Russian President Boris Yetzin's daughter (who is like Dorothy) played Svetlana Efremova...through the OZ of political consulting and campaign winning. Boris Krutonog and Gregory Hlady add the proper intrigue and menace to make even those of us who read the original Time Magazine cover story about the real incident...wonder how it will all turn out.It is funny, charming, and truly suspenseful. The trio of actors playing the "fish out of water" American political consultants play off one another beautifully and with the charisma and wit of a real life Hope and Crosby road picture!

I own this mainly because of Jeff Goldblum, so I wasn't expecting much in the way of real entertainment, but was more or less watching this for Mr. Goldblum's performance. I think he's one of the best actors in the business. I did not discover until after the fact that this film was based on actual events, and I had to go watch it again.

Aside from beautiful performances by all three principals, the story itself has a wonderful flow, which works brilliantly with the material and weaves a highly enjoyable experience.

This is an entertaining experience, but it also shows how desperate the Russians were to do something better for themselves, in spite of communist influences still in place. It also allows us a small peek into the corrupt offices of our own politicians...we already know they will do anything to get elected. This just proves those suspicions and marks them as "well known" and "public knowledge."

On a side note, I found this information here at IMDb and paraphrased it for those of you who are interested. "While the film portrays all three of the men in Russia during the whole campaign, our three consultants (Gorton-Goldlum, Dresner-LaPaglia, and Shumate-Shreiber) were in truth flying in and out over those five months, or so. They left one person in the US as a security precaution to ensure that the other two could leave when desired, and one younger member was left in Russia the whole time. Oddly enough, he was omitted from the movie. It was his notes they used to draft a screenplay, by the way.

The hotel portrayed in the movie was the "President Hotel," known as the "Oktiabraskaya" during Soviet Times. Each room in this hotel was equipped with gas masks, and the hotel compound was rumored to be secretly linked to the Moscow metro system for occupants to escape or guards and extra security to arrive. After the Yeltsin campaign, Gorton went on to be Arnold Schwarzenegger's political consultant, running Arnold's first campaign.

The furniture-stacking scene is something that really happened, and happened more than once. The consultants' paranoia is well founded. During the 1996 election cycle in Russia, the campaign manager for the mayor of St. Petersburg had acid thrown in his face, and the running mate for the mayor of Moscow was critically injured in a car bomb." As I said, those words were paraphrased, but they may allow you a little behind the scenes knowledge as to the origins of this movie. Insider info like that tends to help me embrace the work more. Hope it does the same for you.

All in all? It's not Friday/Saturday night viewing material by any means, but it IS better than a rainy Sunday's tedium relief.

It rates a 7.9/10 from...

the Fiend :.

From the biznessmen to the government officials, even the hotel lounge's Elvis impersonator, the dialogue, spoken language, actors, character portrayals and cultural depictions are so authentically Russian, it's frightening. And hilarious. Which makes it all the more difficult to believe this a product of American cinema, which seems to prefer perpetuating tired and/or exaggerated Russian stereotypes (whether due to ignorance or apathy is still open to debate). Anthropologically speaking, this film's a bull's-eye; historically, who knows? High production values (including stock footage from the actual campaign -- see Yeltsin dance!), quality casting and genuine humor make for good times. More so if you know Russia(n), less so, perhaps, if you don't. I'm recommending it to friends, and I'd watch it again. Na zdoroviye.