Key points depicted include: Gore's retraction of his personal telephone concession to Bush in the early hours of November 8; the decision by the Gore campaign to sue for hand recounts in Democratic strongholds where voting irregularities were alleged, especially in light of the statistical dead heat revealed by the reported machine recount; Republican pressure on Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris in light of her legally mandated responsibilities; the attention focused on the hand recounts by media, parties, and the public; the two major announcements by Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters extending the deadline for returns in the initial recount (November 21, 2000) and ordering a statewide recount of votes (December 8, 2000), and later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court; and finally the adversarial postures of the Supreme Courts of Florida and the United States, as well as the dissenting opinions among the higher court's justices.
In April 2007, it was announced that Sydney Pollack would direct the film.[1] By August, weeks away from the start of principal photography, Pollack withdrew from the project due to a then-undisclosed illness, and was replaced by Jay Roach.[2] Pollack died of cancer on May 26, 2008, one day after Recount premiered on HBO.[3]
Casting
On September 24, 2007, it was announced that Kevin Spacey would star as Ron Klain.[4]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78%, based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 6.4/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] Mark Moorman of Het Parool, gave the film a rating of four stars on a scale of five, calling Recount an "amazing and funny reconstruction".[7]
Response to fictionalization
Some critics have made charges of bias against the film. Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Recount may not be downright blue, but it's not as purply as it wants to appear. Despite its equal time approach, Recount is an underdog story, and thus a Democrat story."[8] Film critic Roger Ebert disputed claims of bias in his review of the film, stating, "You might assume the movie is pro-Gore and anti-Bush, but you would not be quite right."[9]
In an interview with CNN's Reliable Sources, director Jay Roach responded that the film, "wasn't 100 percent accurate, but it was very true to what went on. ... That's what dramatizations do: stitch together the big ideas with, sometimes, constructs that have to stand for a larger truth." Roach cited All the President's Men as an example.[10]Jake Tapper, an ABC newscaster who was a consultant for the film also stated in response that the film is "a fictional version of what happened" and "tilts to the left because it's generally told from the point of view of the Democrats."[10]The Washington Post further stated that Tapper noted that "while some scenes and language are manufactured, 'a lot of dialogue is not invented, a lot of dialogue is taken from my book, other books and real life.' "[10]
Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters agreed that the script departed from the actual statements he made on live television from the courthouse steps in the fall of 2000. "But the words spoken by the actor who played me [Alex Staggs]," Waters said, "are accurate paraphrasis of the things I actually said or of the documents released by the court at the time."
Warren Christopher, who was sent by Gore to supervise the recount, has objected to his portrayal in the film. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Christopher:
... has not seen the film, but he read transcripts of scenes featuring his character, who is portrayed as a high-minded but naive statesman. In one scene, Christopher, played by John Hurt, suggests to former Secretary of State James Baker, who was spearheading Bush's Florida legal team, that they try to resolve the recount through 'diplomacy and compromise.' 'That's absurd,' Christopher says. 'Both Baker and I knew this would be a fight to the end that only one side could win.'
Baker agreed that the film exaggerated his rival's stance: "He's not that much of a wuss," said Matea Gold of the San Jose Mercury News.[11]
Democratic strategist Michael Whouley has objected to the amount of swearing he does in the film, and was also uncomfortable with a scene involving a broken chair.
In contrast, Bush legal advisers James Baker and Benjamin Ginsberg have largely given the film good reviews; Baker even hosted his own screening of it, though he does refer to the film as a "Hollywood rendition" of what happened.[11]
recount, film, recount, 2008, political, drama, television, film, about, florida, vote, recount, during, 2000, united, states, presidential, election, written, danny, strong, directed, roach, television, film, stars, kevin, spacey, balaban, begley, laura, dern. Recount is a 2008 political drama television film about Florida s vote recount during the 2000 United States presidential election Written by Danny Strong and directed by Jay Roach the television film stars Kevin Spacey Bob Balaban Ed Begley Jr Laura Dern John Hurt Denis Leary Bruce McGill and Tom Wilkinson It premiered on HBO on May 25 2008 The television film was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards winning three for Outstanding Made for Television Movie Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries Movie or Dramatic Special for Roach and Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie for Baumgarten It was also nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and winning Best Supporting Actress Series Miniseries or Television Film for Dern RecountOfficial posterGenrePolitical dramaWritten byDanny StrongDirected byJay RoachStarringKevin SpaceyBob BalabanEd Begley Jr Laura DernJohn HurtDenis LearyBruce McGillTom WilkinsonMusic byDave GrusinCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishProductionExecutive producersPaula WeinsteinLen AmatoSydney PollackJay RoachProducerMichael HaussmanCinematographyJim DenaultEditorAlan BaumgartenRunning time116 minutesProduction companiesSpring Creek ProductionsMirage EnterprisesTrigger Street ProductionsEveryman PicturesDistributorHBOReleaseOriginal networkHBOOriginal releaseMay 25 2008 2008 05 25 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Director 3 2 Casting 3 3 Filming 4 Reception 4 1 Reviews 4 1 1 Response to fictionalization 4 2 Awards and nominations 5 Gallery 6 References 7 External linksPlot EditRecount chronicles the 2000 U S presidential election Bush v Gore case between Governor of Texas George W Bush and U S Vice President Al Gore It begins with the election on November 7 and ends with the Supreme Court ruling which stopped the Florida election recount on December 12 Key points depicted include Gore s retraction of his personal telephone concession to Bush in the early hours of November 8 the decision by the Gore campaign to sue for hand recounts in Democratic strongholds where voting irregularities were alleged especially in light of the statistical dead heat revealed by the reported machine recount Republican pressure on Florida s Secretary of State Katherine Harris in light of her legally mandated responsibilities the attention focused on the hand recounts by media parties and the public the two major announcements by Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters extending the deadline for returns in the initial recount November 21 2000 and ordering a statewide recount of votes December 8 2000 and later overturned by the U S Supreme Court and finally the adversarial postures of the Supreme Courts of Florida and the United States as well as the dissenting opinions among the higher court s justices Cast EditKevin Spacey as Ron Klain John Hurt as Warren Christopher Laura Dern as Katherine Harris Tom Wilkinson as James Baker Denis Leary as Michael Whouley Ed Begley Jr as David Boies Bob Balaban as Ben Ginsberg Bruce McGill as Mac Stipanovich Paul Jeans as Ted Olson Bruce Altman as Mitchell Berger Alex Staggs as Craig Waters Doug Williford as Mark Fabiani Gary Basaraba as Clay Roberts Stefen Laurantz as Joe Allbaugh Mitch Pileggi as Bill Daley Jayne Atkinson as Theresa LePore Marcia Jean Kurtz as Carol Roberts Mary Bonner Baker as Kerey Carpenter Bob Kranz as Bob Butterworth Raymond Forchion as Jeff Robinson Steve DuMouchel as John Hardin Young Marc Macaulay as Robert Zoellick Antoni Corone as Tom Feeney Matt Miller as Jeb Bush Terry Loughlin as William Rehnquist Judy Clayton as Sandra Day O Connor William Schallert as John Paul Stevens Bruce Gray as Anthony Kennedy Michael Bryan French as David Souter Howard Elfman as Stephen Breyer Jack Shearer as Antonin Scalia Benjamin Clayton as Clarence Thomas Bradford DeVine as Charles T Wells Candice Critchfield as Judge Myriam Lehr Annie Cerillo as Barbara Pariente Brewier Welch as Harry Lee Anstead Derek Cecil as Jeremy Bash Robert Small as George J Terwilliger III Patricia Getty as Margaret D Tutwiler Christopher Schmidt as John E Sweeney Olgia Campbell as Donna Brazile James Carrey as Chris Lehane Brent Mendenhall as George W Bush Grady Couch as Al Gore David Lodge as Joe Lieberman Carole Wood as Tipper Gore Mark Lamoureux as Reporter Tom Hillmann as Brad Blakeman Adam LeFevre as Mark HerronProduction EditDirector Edit In April 2007 it was announced that Sydney Pollack would direct the film 1 By August weeks away from the start of principal photography Pollack withdrew from the project due to a then undisclosed illness and was replaced by Jay Roach 2 Pollack died of cancer on May 26 2008 one day after Recount premiered on HBO 3 Casting Edit On September 24 2007 it was announced that Kevin Spacey would star as Ron Klain 4 Filming Edit Recount was shot in Jacksonville and Tallahassee Florida Reception EditReviews Edit On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 78 based on 18 reviews and an average rating of 6 4 10 5 On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 25 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 6 Mark Moorman of Het Parool gave the film a rating of four stars on a scale of five calling Recount an amazing and funny reconstruction 7 Response to fictionalization Edit Some critics have made charges of bias against the film Entertainment Weekly wrote Recount may not be downright blue but it s not as purply as it wants to appear Despite its equal time approach Recount is an underdog story and thus a Democrat story 8 Film critic Roger Ebert disputed claims of bias in his review of the film stating You might assume the movie is pro Gore and anti Bush but you would not be quite right 9 In an interview with CNN s Reliable Sources director Jay Roach responded that the film wasn t 100 percent accurate but it was very true to what went on That s what dramatizations do stitch together the big ideas with sometimes constructs that have to stand for a larger truth Roach cited All the President s Men as an example 10 Jake Tapper an ABC newscaster who was a consultant for the film also stated in response that the film is a fictional version of what happened and tilts to the left because it s generally told from the point of view of the Democrats 10 The Washington Post further stated that Tapper noted that while some scenes and language are manufactured a lot of dialogue is not invented a lot of dialogue is taken from my book other books and real life 10 Florida Supreme Court Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters agreed that the script departed from the actual statements he made on live television from the courthouse steps in the fall of 2000 But the words spoken by the actor who played me Alex Staggs Waters said are accurate paraphrasis of the things I actually said or of the documents released by the court at the time Warren Christopher who was sent by Gore to supervise the recount has objected to his portrayal in the film According to the San Jose Mercury News Christopher has not seen the film but he read transcripts of scenes featuring his character who is portrayed as a high minded but naive statesman In one scene Christopher played by John Hurt suggests to former Secretary of State James Baker who was spearheading Bush s Florida legal team that they try to resolve the recount through diplomacy and compromise That s absurd Christopher says Both Baker and I knew this would be a fight to the end that only one side could win Baker agreed that the film exaggerated his rival s stance He s not that much of a wuss said Matea Gold of the San Jose Mercury News 11 Democratic strategist Michael Whouley has objected to the amount of swearing he does in the film and was also uncomfortable with a scene involving a broken chair In contrast Bush legal advisers James Baker and Benjamin Ginsberg have largely given the film good reviews Baker even hosted his own screening of it though he does refer to the film as a Hollywood rendition of what happened 11 Awards and nominations Edit Year Award Category Nominee s Result Ref 2008 Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting Television Movie David Rubin Richard Hicks Lori S Wyman and Kathleen Chopin Won 12 Online Film amp Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Nominated 13 Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Kevin Spacey NominatedBest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Tom Wilkinson WonBest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Laura Dern NominatedBest Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Jay Roach NominatedBest Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Danny Strong NominatedBest Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries NominatedPrimetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Paula Weinstein Len Amato Sydney Pollack Jay Roach and Michael Hausman Won 14 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Kevin Spacey NominatedTom Wilkinson NominatedOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Bob Balaban NominatedDenis Leary NominatedOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Laura Dern NominatedOutstanding Directing for a Miniseries Movie or Dramatic Special Jay Roach WonOutstanding Writing for a Miniseries Movie or Dramatic Special Danny Strong NominatedPrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Patti Podesta Christopher Tandon and Radha Mehta NominatedOutstanding Casting for a Miniseries Movie or Special David Rubin Richard Hicks Lori S Wyman and Kathleen Chopin NominatedOutstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie Alan Baumgarten WonSatellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated 15 Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Kevin Spacey NominatedTom Wilkinson NominatedBest Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Laura Dern Nominated2009 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Non Commercial Television Alan Baumgarten Won 16 American Film Institute Awards Top 10 Television Programs Won 17 Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design Award Television Movie or Mini series Patti Podesta Christopher Tandon Kim Lincoln Herman McEachin John E Thombleson II and Anuradha Mehta Nominated 18 Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries Gary Alper Gary C Bourgeois and Greg Orloff Nominated 19 Critics Choice Awards Best Picture Made for Television Nominated 20 Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries Jay Roach Won 21 Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Nominated 22 Best Actor Miniseries or Television Film Kevin Spacey NominatedTom Wilkinson NominatedBest Supporting Actor Series Miniseries or Television Film Denis Leary NominatedBest Supporting Actress Series Miniseries or Television Film Laura Dern WonProducers Guild of America Awards David L Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long Form Television Paula Weinstein Len Amato Sydney Pollack Jay Roach and Michael Hausman Nominated 23 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Kevin Spacey Nominated 24 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Laura Dern NominatedWriters Guild of America Awards Long Form Original Danny Strong Won 25 Gallery Edit Craig Waters talks with reporters before oral arguments December 7 2000 Alex Staggs as Craig Walters during filming on location for the HBO movie Recount November 3 2007 The actual Florida Supreme Court listens to December 7 2000 arguments HBO reenacts the December 7 argument during filming November 4 2007References Edit Pollack making Bush poll movie BBC News BBC April 2 2007 Retrieved April 20 2018 Ill Pollack steps down from film BBC News BBC August 7 2007 Retrieved April 20 2018 US director Sydney Pollack dies BBC News BBC May 27 2008 Retrieved April 20 2018 Fleming Michael September 24 2007 Spacey to star in HBO s Recount Variety Penske Business Media Retrieved January 6 2014 Recount 2008 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved April 20 2018 Recount Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved April 20 2018 Moorman Mark February 19 2009 Siamese punk and a recount Het Parool p A amp M 23 Flynn Gillian May 16 2008 Recount Entertainment Weekly Time Retrieved September 8 2011 Ebert Roger May 25 2008 Recount RogerEbert com Ebert Digital LLC Retrieved August 26 2012 a b c Kurtz Kyle May 23 2008 Truth and Chads Hang In the Balance Of Recount The Washington Post Retrieved April 20 2018 a b Gold Matea May 22 2008 HBO s Recount revisits hanging chad debacle San Jose Mercury News Digital First Media Retrieved May 26 2008 2008 Artios Awards www castingsociety com Retrieved November 10 2008 12th Annual TV Awards 2007 08 Online Film amp Television Association Retrieved May 15 2021 Recount Emmys com Academy of Television Arts amp Sciences Retrieved July 13 2017 2008 Satellite Awards Satellite Awards International Press Academy Retrieved July 10 2021 Finke Nikki January 12 2010 Nominees For Editors ACE Eddie Awards Deadline Retrieved April 12 2017 AFI Awards 2008 American Film Institute Archived from the original on October 17 2020 Retrieved January 19 2022 Nominees Winners Art Directors Guild Retrieved July 28 2018 THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES FOR THE CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING FOR 2008 www cinemaaudiosociety org Archived from the original on July 25 2011 14th Critics Choice Awards 2009 DigitalHit com January 8 2009 Retrieved January 8 2009 61st DGA Awards Directors Guild of America Awards Retrieved July 5 2021 Recount Golden Globes HFPA Retrieved July 5 2021 Fernandez Jay January 5 2009 Producers guild unveils nominations The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved April 3 2020 The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards Retrieved May 21 2016 Previous Nominees amp Winners 2008 Awards Winners Writers Guild Awards Archived from the original on May 12 2015 Retrieved May 7 2014 External links EditOfficial website Recount at IMDb Recount at AllMovie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Recount film amp oldid 1130944325, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
