Recount
The Story of the 2000 Presidential Election
The future of the nation was hanging by a... chad.
Every vote counts... if the votes are counted.
In 2000, the election of the U.S. President boiled down to a few precious votes in the state of Florida - and a recount that would add "hanging chad" to every American's vocabulary.
Beginning on Election Day 2000 and culminating with the Supreme Court decision in Bush vs. Gore, Recount from HBO Films follows the bizarre 36-day struggle to determine which candidate won Florida... and the presidency. While the nation holds its breath, the Republicans, led by charismatic Texan James Baker (Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton), battle the Democrats, headed up by Ron Klain (two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, American Beauty), Gore's former chief of staff, in a series of escalating protests, lawsuits, appeals and partisan infighting. The colorful cast of real-life characters includes Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris (Oscar nominee Laura Dern, Rambling Rose), known to millions of Americans as much for her makeup as for her role in determining the winner. The result is an illuminating, entertaining look at the stranger-than-fiction story of the closest race in presidential history.
Member Reviews
Review - Recount - maw-
A fascinating documentary about the infamous Florida recount. After watching this, it makes you wonder how anything gets accomplished. Well written and well acted. The only person who seemed a little over the top was Laura Dern's portrayal of Florida Secretary of State Harris. Then again, I've never seen live footage of her speaking, so maybe she really is that ridiculous.Suspenseful, even when you know the outcome. - seenonflickr
This is a movie about the 2000 election and specifically the voting issues in Florida and the partial recount done there. The facts/story is frustrating but the movie covers it very well; it actually made more sense to me this way than in the hours of news coverage. Kevin Spacey is a leader of the Gore team in Florida, Tom Wilkinson is playing American as the lead of the Bush team, and Laura Dern is FANTASTIC as Katherine Harris. Was kind of like Apollo 13 in that there was still suspense even if you knew how the story ended. Recommended.Fascinating take on an election debacle. - estefan
Kevin Spacey leads a fine group of actors in this fascinating tale on the infamous 2000 Presidential Election Recount. Each side of the political spectrum is explored deeply, both shown fighting different battles. The screenplay is continually interesting as the plot takes one turn after another, even though we know what the final outcome will be. The acting is outstanding, Laura Dern standing out the most as a politician whose allusions of grandeur might have led to George W Bush being President for the next eight years. Overall, Recount is yet another example of the terrific care that HBO takes in their productions and I'm quite surprised this wasn't upgraded to a theatrical release. If you have an interest in the mechanics of American politics, Recount comes highly recommended.
Member Reviews
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Review - Recount - maw-
A fascinating documentary about the infamous Florida recount. After watching this, it makes you wonder how anything gets accomplished. Well written and well acted. The only person who seemed a little over the top was Laura Dern's portrayal of Florida Secretary ...Suspenseful, even when you know the outcome. - seenonflickr
This is a movie about the 2000 election and specifically the voting issues in Florida and the partial recount done there. The facts/story is frustrating but the movie covers it very well; it actually made more sense to me this way than in the hours of news ...Fascinating take on an election debacle. - estefan
Kevin Spacey leads a fine group of actors in this fascinating tale on the infamous 2000 Presidential Election Recount. Each side of the political spectrum is explored deeply, both shown fighting different battles. The screenplay is continually interesting ...