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Julianne Moore imitating Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin

posted 10 years ago by sambuca62
16 replies | jump to latest

The entire time I watched Game Watch I couldn't help think Julianne Moore was imitating Tina Fey. The whole thing seemed to be an over the top caricature of a dividing personality. I remember people at the office joking about things Sarah Palin had said that more often or not were things Tina Fey had said impersonating Sarah Palin. No doubt the producers and writers knew this movie would have a large base audience from the haters, but also some of the curious and a few of the believers. Count me in the curious.

Was Sarah Palin ready to be the Vice President of the United States? Definitely Not
Was she very knowledgeable of international issues in Sept. 2008? Probably Not
Is Sarah Palin a good communicator who can connect with an audience? Definitely Yes
Did the media have it out for her?
Yes, I am extremely knowledgeable of international events/politics and I didn't know WTF the Bush Doctrine was. It was a fairly obscure way to describe a broad set of Bush's international policies. Whereas, the Monroe Doctrine was a very specific policy continually mentioned in history books for generations. Why should anyone know the Bush Doctrine whatever that might be among several policies? Because Charlie Gibson said so? Will the Bush Doctrine be described "specifically" as such in history books fifty years from now? Probably Not. Sorry Charlie!
The liberal media seems to hate women who are conservatives. Their existence directly challenges the very idea of the latest Democratic campaign strategy "The War on Women".
Think about the blatant unfairness of attacking Palin for the $150,000 of clothing bought by others for her and her family for the campaign in contrast to Michelle Obama's extensively wearing expensive designer dresses. Before you attack that statement or try to defend the press, I am in the camp that doesn't give a crap one way or another what these two women choose to wear.

By now, you probably know I think Game Watch was a hatchet and vendetta piece. I think Washington insiders are extremely vain and full of themselves. It is obvious that the movie deliberately made Steve Schmidt look good and Sarah Palin look bad. Let's face it *beep* sells.

As the movie gently alludes to at the end, a global financial collapse and two protracted wars made it extremely unlikely the Republicans would retain the Presidency in 2008. Do we really need to blame Sarah Palin for McCain's loss?

[–] Niv-1 10 years ago

It didn't help to have a woman who while certainly stupid was also demonstrating severe signs of being mentally ill. Why did they hire that doctor to follow her around and see If she was mentally ill? But more than that why didn't they send her to an official appointment in a medical setting? Following her around and saying "not half bad for recent birth, and son in Iraq" was not enough. I think that doctor observation was a comment on the lack of vetting. They don't vet her at all, decide based on a YouTube video, and then when everyone starts talking about catatonic stupors and shutting down and bizarre behavior just decide to have a doctor follow her around once!

[–] bethebestforthejob 10 years ago

Niv-1

It didn't help to have a woman who while certainly stupid was also demonstrating severe signs of being mentally ill.

?????????? You know, Niv-1, mental illness is a real serious thing. It does not disappear after good nights sleep or a Yoga Retreat.

Do you claim Sarah Palin displays severe sings of mental illness - today?

And what is the illness?

Don't explain with malice what you can explain with stupidity

[–] Niv-1 10 years ago

Was the recent huge brawl a part of palin's mental illness or is it just her being "white trash"? She has never been officially disgnosed so what's just "palin is stupid" vs "palin is mentally ill". Like when she used the term blood libel or mangled paul revere story so bad and bizarrely! What is known is that she suffered nervous breakdown and catatonic stupors after chosen and then went rogue. Was her "going rogue" just being so self centered and egotistical or is it mental illness? These are the questions the book and movie raise.

[–] bethebestforthejob 10 years ago

Niv-1

Was her "going rogue" just being so self centered and egotistical or is it mental illness?

Why on Earth are you asking me? I am not the one advocating this position! More, I am not a mental health professional, I never even heard of the Sarah Palin-mental illness conspiracy theory before you brought it up.

I have no clue what you are talking about, so I am asking you: stop with the innuendos, and tell me straight: what mental illness? What is the name of it? Who diagnosed her?

Was her "going rogue" just being so self centered and egotistical or is it mental illness? These are the questions the book and movie raise.

Well, no brother, not acording to the director! I advocate that you watch this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYpKKp5izCA

Quote from Jay Roach:

I wanted to tell a great, true story. If you are going to do some kind of propaganda piece you don't show such a strong woman in so many strong situations, both at the beginning, and at the end. You can argue that by the end of the film she's kind of the strongest character of all of them.

Quote from Julianne Moore:

This is not a movie about Sarah Palin, this is a movie about our political process. (...) What happened in those sixty days, why was it like a runaway train, why do we continue to respond to people with tremendous charisma and movie-star quality and good looks, why do we value that over substance time and time again?

There is nowhere, never as much as a mention of Sarah Palin as anything but charismatic and significantly stronger and more appealing than anyone within the Campaign - what, on Earth are you talking about injecting mental illness into this?????

Don't explain with malice what you can explain with stupidity

[–] Niv-1 10 years ago

No one ever officially diagnosed her as far as I know. The movie shows people being concerned she's going crazy because of the "catatonic stupors" reported by mark Wallace and Schmidt had his own eyewitness accounts of things.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1154851-overview

The issue is Strong writing and roach directing the scene where a doctor follows palin around the BBQ after reports of her mental illness start. It was mccains doctor friend.

This is in the movie! How could I introduce you to reports of palin mental illness? What did you think the Doctor scene was about?

[–] bethebestforthejob 10 years ago

Niv-1

No one ever officially diagnosed her as far as I know. The movie shows people being concerned she's going crazy because of the "catatonic stupors"

No it doesn't. Ever. Wallace tells Schmidt on the phone Palin doesn't cooperate with her and refuses to prepare for the Couric interview, Schmidt tells McCain on the phone she may be on the verge of mental breakdown: the doctor present at the BBQ sets Schmidt straight and says in no uncertain terms no, Steve, you are more at risk of a mental breakdown than her.

The issue is Strong writing and roach directing the scene where a doctor follows palin around the BBQ after reports of her mental illness start. It was mccains doctor friend.

There is no scene of doctor following her around. There is McCain talking he will arrange for it, but no such scene was included in the movie. There is a scene of a doctor talking to Steve Schmidt and telling him she is fine, she behaves normal and adequate to the situation, but Schmidt - on the other hand - looks like s...t.

This is in the movie!

This is not in the movie. I watched the movie again with a time-watch to check that exactly. It is not there! Neither is any of the vocabulary you used!

How could I introduce you to reports of palin mental illness? What did you think the Doctor scene was about?

If you cannot introduce me to reports on Palin's mental illness, then you have no argument! There was no doctor scene. I repeat, there was only one instance during which a doctor tells Schmidt Palin is fine, Schmidt is not.

Watch it again if you have to!

Don't explain with malice what you can explain with stupidity

[–] Niv-1 9 years ago

I don't understand your point of view. Wallace uses the term catatonic stupors. It wasn't that she was just refusing but absolutely shut down.

What was the doctor doing when he talks to steve about her "not being half bad" and having qualifiers about it "son at war /just given birth". McCain and Schmidt had the phone call where they discuss have the doctor secretly observe her. What he said about her was all about what he had witnessed by him secretly following her around. That's why he was invited to the BBQ in the first place. How did he even get that conclusion about Palin? I can't believe you actually needed a scene where he follows her around? It's established by dialogue both before the bbq scene and his talk with Schmidt that that's what he did.

You also don't seem to get that when a doctor does a diagnosis he should actually meet with the patient in a clinical environment and actually do tests. I just don't understand how you can say the doctor says she is fine and that he didn't follow her around the bbq secretly to even form that opinion which he qualifies! "As a new mother, as a mother with a son at war" He qualifies it. You need to watch the movie and actually look at what context scenes take place in.

[–] Niv-1 9 years ago

you are acting like even though in the movie people talk about her having catatonic stupors that I am the one introducing palin being mentally ill into the discussion of the movie. Where do you think "catatonic stupor" came from? Me? No its in the movie. The doctor is invited to the bbq to check palin and follow her around and report on her to Schmidt.

[–] bethebestforthejob 10 years ago

sambuca62

Yes, I am extremely knowledgeable of international events/politics and I didn't know WTF the Bush Doctrine was. It was a fairly obscure way to describe a broad set of Bush's international policies.

Was it????

From: Chronology: the Evolution of the Bush Doctrine:

George W. Bush releases his administration's National Security Strategy (NSS). It is the first time the various elements of the Bush Doctrine have been formally articulated in one place. The 33-page document presents a bold and comprehensive reformulation of U.S. foreign policy. It outlines a new and muscular American posture in the world -- a posture that will rely on preemption to deal with rogue states and terrorists harboring weapons of mass destruction. It states that America will exploit its military and economic power to encourage "free and open societies." It states for the first time that the U.S. will never allow its military supremacy to be challenged as it was during the Cold War. And the NSS insists that when America's vital interests are at stake, it will act alone, if necessary.

Source:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/etc/cron.html

sambuca62

Will the Bush Doctrine be described "specifically" as such in history books fifty years from now? Probably Not.

??????? Why on Earth wouldn't it be?

Why should anyone know the Bush Doctrine whatever that might be among several policies?

I say - because it made American Pre-emptive Wars legal. This is pretty extreme, costly, deadly and at last - ineffective. You?

I think Washington insiders are extremely vain and full of themselves.

But these were not Washington insiders who made the movie, but bonafide Hollywood insiders.

Washington insiders gave detailed interviews on what was happening on the campaign. 25 new, detailed interviews were made. Vast majority of those describing Palin were Republicans. I repeat, hardcore, dedicated Republicans, whose entire life and career consists of efforts to elect more Republicans to the highest offices in the country.

Why on Earth would Republicans want to tank Palin?

Don't explain with malice what you can explain with stupidity

[–] mairi-1 9 years ago

Your review might carry more weight if you bothered to get the name of the movie correct. It's called Game Change. It's hardly a hatchet job. Palin was portrayed sympathetically as a woman clearly in over her head. Her ignorance on virtually every subject was hardly the fault of the makers of this movie.

[–] richard.fuller1 8 years ago

If Viola Davis appeared in a program dressed up as Sarah Palin, she'd win an Emmy for it.

It's all the way Hollywood thinks, which is why I don't watch these slanted things that try to put a little innuendo in there, however much.

Anybody who 'portrayed' Sarah Palin was rewarded.

Highly unlikely if anyone portrayed her as vibrant, observing and intelligent, there would be no award for that actress.

[–] harryrstevens 8 years ago

Tina Fey has said several times in interviews that none of the dialog she speaks as Sara Palin in the SNL skits is invented. All she did was restate things that Sara Palin had actually said.

[–] Niv-1 8 years ago

Like when Palin asked to phone a friend?

[–] Can_a_bitch_get_a_donut 8 years ago

The people depicted on screen working with Sarah Palin claimed the movie was a fair and accurate portrayal of their real-life experiences with Palin.

While it's true that Tina Fey's impressions of Palin made a huge impact on the national psyche (and indeed some people did confuse Fey's quotes with those of the real Sarah Palin), I think the reason Fey's Palin sketches made such a splash--much bigger than any Obama, Clintons, or George W. Bush impressions on SNL--were because of just how close to the mark Fey's portrayal of her was. Fey's goofball version of Palin wasn't much of a stretch from the real Palin. I think the movie--Game Change, not "Game Watch"--was much more accurate of course.

Some of Palin's real interviews were unintentionally funny to a lot of people. Her own people insisted the interviews were not out to get her and the questions were fair ones she just didn't know how to answer. She had tons of confidence and very little experience with that sort of thing. I dare say we're now seeing something similar with Donald Trump, except I'm not sure he's phased by the criticism he receives like Sarah was.

\o/ STEVE HOLT!

[–] dungeonstudio 8 years ago

Oh hell NO! Julianne was spot on to Sarah Palin! Especially in the scene where she's watching Poehler and Fey spoof her interview on SNL. Those waves of emotions between shame and hatred bringing empathy to Palin as a person - that's amazing acting, not funny caricature! Moore is simply awesome portraying ALL the levels of Palin, from naive helper, to rebel rousing crowd pleaser. Sarah Palin didn't 'go to Americans', she 'got to Americans'. As George Orwell stated 'Ignorance Is Strength'. And Palin was the God chosen epitome of that. Her unapologetic simplicity bonded her with those ignorant and blood thirsty for a old fashioned lynching. And poor John was demoralized from a soldier who served and loved America, and wanting to lead it - to that of an elderly Grand Wizard unleashing a witch hunt, thanks to Sarah. And there's nothing FUNNY about that! Sarah Palin is an arrogant Avon sales rep talking smack about The Jones across the street during her pitch to the Smiths. She's a hate filled cancer that looked like a cute mole at first. And what a time bomb that 'beauty mark' was for John McCain to adorn on his campaign - and for Americans to be attracted to as well. Julianne Moore exemplified, exploited, and executed that stupendously IMHO.

[–] agracier-574-436194 8 years ago

She's a hate filled cancer that looked like a cute mole at first.

True indeed and she has not gotten any better since her defeat in the election ...