Blue State (2007)

Sorry, this movie sucks

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This is a story about a Democratic political activist who tries to make good on a promise to move to Canada if W wins re-election.What's good about this film is that it includes eerie clips from the period which bring back memories of just how creepy it was to live in the US at that time. When a lunatic president tells you he thinks he's been given a blank cheque to do what he wants, you don't really stick around to find out what that means. Having the advantage of being Canadian already, I did leave, several months later.But what's bad is almost everything else.I totally did not buy the romantic relationship. Frankly, I was expecting Hamon to be some kind of citizen spy, perhaps along the lines of James O'Keefe.And Canada is insultingly misrepresented here (that's the thanks that Canadian taxpayers get for helping fund this thing). Ultimately, we're just another plot device to these characters, not a real place. Coming to Canada in real life is certainly not an escape from responsibility. There is real work to be done.It would have been nice if the film had contrasted the US events with Canada's Liberal minority of the same time period, and their eventual election loss to Harper in 2005.That said, Breckin looks good in a pair of jeans. I think he always will.

The people who ripped into the movie for portraying a one-dimensional Canada or taking potshots at Bush are missing the point.Canada as a locale in the movie is merely a convenient shorthand-- it could have been Mexico or the UK or Australia, the point is that it's a foreign country. Calling 'Blue State' "anti-Canadian propaganda" is a bit like calling South Park's portrayal of egghead Canadians "anti-Canadian propaganda".And, it may be just me, but I felt that 'Blue State' pokes more fun at the Democrat zealot than of Dubya-- for a considerable portion of the movie, and when he's on tirade-mode, it seems to me that John is portrayed as a sad, almost ridiculous figure.That aside, the leads are believable and exhibit romantic chemistry, and make their characters likable. Especially Breckin Meyer-- as written, John is a self-important, uptight person for most of the film, but Meyer imbues his character with humanity.Overall a mild political satire and competent, heartfelt romantic road trip.

UPDATE- check out "RED STATE"(2011) movie; a great parallel to "BLUE STATE"The feature tries to inoculate the concept that IF you are an activist , you must be so because YOU ARE NOT NORMAL(Anna Paquin is being used as the ROLE MODEL, apparently the ONLY sane American in the feature.) this is targeting young people by trying to confuse their perceptions of anything that IS "white" OR "black". (warning)first i must say that i am Canadian by assimilation, and while not having an American voting card, i was just as disappointed of George bush re-election as man others were, especially since his actions in oval office DO have a global impact no matter where you live. "blue state" is exactly about this, more precisely about A disgruntled "democrat" that after the re-elections of 2004 is on his way to Canada, running away from g.w.b because his vote "did not matter".why 2 stars? because this movie attempts to play on my feelings, from "incentives" such as a pretty woman (by the way god forbid for anyone to have such a girlfriend) to "happy endings"(no matter how unhappy this administration could make you). also it is very racist and anti-Canadian.basically over 1 hour of "liberal" and Canadian sympathy that turns into a HATE movie against all the above. (just cant believe that the director would make the only black man in the feature a TERRORIST in concept. WOW, have not seen such covered racism in a while...) . I CAN NOT BELIEVE THEY MAKING A MOCKERY OF THE Canadian PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM by implying that IF YOU JOIN THE US ARMY YOU CAN HAVE A BETTER ONE(health care)...WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER MILLIONS Americans THAT HAVE NU SUCH DARK "PASSIONS" or can NOT easily be lied to? if you are a CONSERVATIVE, you will likely love this movie and i mean that literally, if watch it all..if you are an anti-bush activist you will certainly dislike it (again, must see it entirely.surprisingly, on the feature's artistic merits, i was quiet WELL pleased UNTIL THE LAST 20-30 MINUTES!. 5 minutes of watching THIS got me hooked up at first. while it is not a "fast" movie per-see, it is VERY rich in ideas and thoughts including self induced criticism.Breckin Meyer plays excellent and seems very comfortable in the character's skin. his attitude creates quiet many comic aspects without getting anywhere close to the "geek" side(and make some mockery out of this). he is also very passionate in a very passive-aggressive way.he represents quit well the typical north American male just as much as Anna Paquin represents its female counterpart. the whole production is targeting Americans only since there are MANY "clichés" that could not easily be applied even to Canadian "lifestyles" for example( then think the rest of the non-English world...). towards Canadians like myself there are plenty of insults (from the the marry-a-Canadian matrimonial agency in its objective or , the Canadian border officer that dislikes American beer because it tastes like "s--t",etc).at times i was not sure if this production took "cheap" shots at me or other Canadians, but regardless, the director did it with "gusto" and i can appreciate that until the twist that makes the whole feature PURE PRO-PRESENT ADMINISTARTION PROPAGANDA.(even the ideas in the movie imply that "bush" OR "kerry" are THE SAME THING) for example i had nor seen or heard of "40 inch" size pizza order, looks hilarious do)). so many clichés about how Canadians have good times at parties drinking tons of beer apparently, he he. or the "tall poppy syndrome" joke that had me burst laughing)))).two poor sensitive Americans being exposed to all this that is Canadian and the Canadians themselves, apparently still having that old fashioned "cave" mentality .check also the quick argument about universal health care in US ARMY...jaw-breaking and disgusting shameless advertisement. there are a couple of scenes that will hit your emotional perceptions quiet strongly. the dialogues are witty, and REALISTIC as seen or heard from "public" versus "private" eye opposing views. a great deal of naivety versus maturity; a real life condition versus a desired one.the last 20 minutes are a complete racist,xenophobe and naive RIDE hidden within a romantic and stereotype nutshell.one scene i did not find appealing at all ; when a black man says (why had to be black, again with stereotypes??)"i wish that m... dead, look at me i am running from my own country like a refugee" and Anna Paquin hears that......she gives this "superior" stance, very irritating, of a superior "moralist" she sees herself as.it gets WORSE after ...i CAN NOT BELIEVE i actually wasted my time to watch this, even if i loved most of the movie until it tried to TWIST everything up!(especially from the comments made by the American loving in Canada for 35 years because he ran away from the draft in Vietnam)

I really wanted to like this film -- it is a great idea! However, the comic undertones of the film quickly gave way to a downbeat drama and the portrayal of one of the most dysfunctional families ever seen on film.My enjoyment of the movie dwindled as the film went on and on and on. It wasn't really the acting (at least not of the main characters), or even the directing, but rather the writing that was at fault. The script is heavy handed and unbelievable.On top of this, the writer should have at least visited Canada, or checked out some facts about the country before writing so egregiously. The movie makes it look like Winnipeg is a day's drive from Washington state; Canada border guards do not ask Americans to see their passports at the border - they ask for identification (Social Security number, driver's license, etc.); Winnipeg does not enjoy Chinooks (where weather changes 30 degrees in a day) that's Calgary; By 2004 when this film takes place you would have a hard time finding any Canadian boasting of universal health care; and you really don't hear that tall poppy story up here -- that is a story Americans use to describe Canadians, not a story Canadians use to describe themselves.Overall, this was a missed opportunity for a very funny, poignant and timely film that really missed its mark. The plot was good, the main actors good, but the actual writing was very clumsy.