The War Room

1993 "They Changed The Way Campaigns Are Won"
7.4| 1h36m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 03 November 1993 Released
Producted By: Pennebaker Associates Inc.
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.

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The War Room (1993) is now streaming with subscription on Max

Director

D. A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus

Production Companies

Pennebaker Associates Inc.

The War Room Videos and Images

The War Room Audience Reviews

Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Matt Greene This largely one-sided but refreshingly unsensationalized doc entertainingly shows how the political sausage is made. And James Carville is a national treasure, and he alone makes this worth watching. In reference to the Ross Perot presidential campaign celebration, he said: "It is the most expensive single act of masturbation in the world."
Joe Benik This is one of the great political films since All the President's Men, and one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The story is fascinating, the characters are very interesting, and its all real. Even the music adds to the frenetic pace of the film.The documentary follows the 1992 Clinton Campaign from the doldrums in New Hampshire, through the Democratic convention in New York to its summit on election night in Little Rock. But Clinton spends very little time on the screen. The film captures the behind-the-scenes action of James Carville, George Stephanopolis, and the rest of the cast and crew of Clinton campaign headquarters. The film shows how TV spots are written, how interviews are managed, how the candidates' message is distributed, and how the "spin doctors" do their stuff.The pace is quick. Staffers come into and out of scenes constantly, and there is a great deal of off-camera dialogue, much like an emergency-room scene from E.R. The mix of standard documentary footage with news reports and interviews is terrific. Some of the best scenes are of the pols watching the news reports and reacting to what they see. The central character is James Carville, who is more interesting than anyone else in the campaign, much moreso than the candidates themselves. He reveals that his "Ragin' Cajun" image is genuine, for he is truly passionate about his work. But it also reveals a mind working on overdrive, and a sensitive nature that you wouldn't expect to see. His "people will say you are lucky" speech to staffers at the end of the film is as moving as anything written for the studio, and moreso because it is genuine. Stephanopolis came off less well. Behind his youthful looks and seeming intelligence comes a certain shallowness. Much of his contribution was more of a "me too" nature than anything truly creative or deep. He also had a moment at the end of the film when, in a room with a starry-eyed female staffer, he's describing how he feels. And the conclusion is, not much. It is not hard to understand why years later George was a washout in the Clinton White House, never managed another campaign, and is now earning his living in front of the camera.After all is said and done, it is clear that the candidate is secondary in a modern presidential election. He's like the hand your dealt in a game of poker. It's important, but what you do with it once it is dealt to you is much more important. And these guys are pros.So are the filmmakers. There were several times when I had to remind myself that this was a documentary, and not a work of fiction. In fact, if you see it immediately after seeing "Primary Colors" you'll see that truth is not only stranger than fiction, but it can be more interesting as well.
Mnemosyne This is the perfect movie to watch pre-elections -- it reminds those of us who voted for Clinton in 1992 why he seemed to be the answer to our prayers, and introduces us to the men who made us believe that. It's not really about Clinton -- the heroes are James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, who work in the "war room" in Little Rock, Ark., and coordinate the campaign. Even the most cynical anti-Clintonite will admit that Carville and Stephanopoulos are sincere in their belief in Clinton's policies and in the man himself. The best scene comes towards the end on Election Day, when Carville begins talking to himself, composing a concession speech for Clinton.The film is so focused on the Clinton campaign that if you don't know ahead of time that Carville and Mary Matalin, who appears as the Bush campaign spokeswoman, got married after the campaign, her scenes might seem a little out of place ... at least until the sight of him whisking her away on a romantic weekend trip during the course of the campaign jogs your memory.
Openize This movie / documentary gives you an impression about what has been cooked before it's served. It's the kitchen and you see the master boiling more than eggs alone. The intriguing part of it all is the simplicity in thinking mostly; it's a complex world, but it comes down to some simple things; polls, how to go about competition and for sure ... what's credible and what's not? The reality of politics ... for real!