The War Room (1993)

So much average

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

A documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it.Wile this film was great in its own time, it has only gained in importance since. First of all, the choice to follow Clinton is an interesting one. While he ultimately won, at the beginning of the campaign, Clinton was losing to Paul Tsongas. It would be a very strange film if it followed a candidate who never even won the primary. Would such a film be completed or would they just scrap the whole project? But those involved have risen. George Stephanopoulos has become an important political commentator. James Carville is a legend. The Clinton family has had political influence far beyond 1992 (though it took quite a hit in 2016). And then there is Rahm Emanuel, who could someday make a run of his own.

Everything has been told here, very pointedly, about James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, the dream team - along with Paul Begala - which helped Clinton to win against the odds.I just rewatched the DVD after years and what really caught me this time was how awkward and downright embarrassing George H. W. Bush came across. Desperate to conceal his "patrecian" upbringing his juvenile verbal nasties were a hoot. In later years Junior was much more believable as a foulmouthed punk.Which pretty much sums up the ill advised campaign of Senior. Whipping H. W. into a fake frenzy and then present Mary Matalin as a voice of reason was a fatal choice against the Dem's candidate playing the emphatic considerate charm card accompanied by the fiery spinning of Carville and the quiet ruthlessness of boyish Stephanopoulos.And no, the filmmakers weren't biased in terms of Senior. The infamous "Govenor Taxes and the Ozone man/Halloween" weren't shown. As weren't lots of other gaffes.So as much as showing a winning campaign the 15 % of the Bush failing campaign on show are just as revealing.

As a government teacher, this is one of the few movies I make sure I play EVERY year. The Ragin' Cajun is unstoppable in this film! Anyone who wishes to know EXACTLY what a campaign is like inside and out needs to check out this film. There is a scene in this film featuring George Stephanopoulous where he straight up threatens to end a guys political career, should he come out with allegations against Clinton. I am simply amazed that this scene wasn't edited out of the film. However, the simple fact that it wasn't helps me realize how "real" this film is.The only reason that I gave this a 9 out of 10 instead of a 10 out of 10 is simply that as time passes, the Bush v. Clinton election becomes slightly less and less relevant to viewers. Anyone younger than about 25 probably won't relate to the details (Jennifer Flowers, etc...) of this film.

I don't profess to know anything about the inner workings of a political machine, so I was really interested in seeing a behind the scenes look at what goes on. As ignorant as I am, The War Room didn't tell me anything new. There seemed to be a consciousness (either on the part of the "war room" staff or the filmmakers) that this movie was in no way to smudge Clinton's image. So, we see a whole lotta Clinton supporters with no cracks showing in their dedication. The Clinton campaign machine comes off as the good guys while choosing to show Bush at his most offensive. These scenes were, I'm sure, included to make me appalled at the tactics employed by Bush, but instead it just made me realize that I'd probably learn more about campaigning if I were allowed 90 minutes in the REPUBLICAN war room.James Carville was quite impressive in all of his tic-riddled glory. If I were running for anything, I would certainly want him in my corner. But the most clear-headed person to hit the screen was the enemy, Mary Matalin. She may not be charismatic, but she seemed to be the only who truly believed in her candidate instead of the hype.