The mockumentary Karl Rove, I Love You, available on DVD, is a reminder of what good filmmaking should be. It's a satirical perspective of today's harsh political climate.
I went to a drive-in theatre last night and sat through two of this summer blockbusters: "G Force and G.I Joe: Rise Of The Cobra." Both films were chockful of non stop action, flashy special effects, ear splitting sound effects and lame one liners passing as humor.
Loud and bombastic, yes. Memorable, no. Both films provided little more than fleeting thrills at best and witless, mind numbing action at worst.
So when I recently saw ' Karl Rove, I Love You' on DVD,this delightful indie film reminded me of what good filmmaking is all about: telling an entertaining story with flair and intelligence.
The film is a mockumentary that takes place in 2004, when then President Bush was battling it out in the polls with Democratic nominee John Kerry for the much coveted Presidential seat. Dan Butler, (playing himself) is about to appear in a documentary about "the unknown supporting actor" when he gets the idea to do a stage show about the Karl Rove, President Bush's much publicized advisor.
The show is meant to portray Rove as someone has masterminded a campaign of fear and divisiveness in
hopes of securing John Kerry's victory in winning the presidential campaign. But while doing research on his subject , Butler begins (much to the distress of his associated and friends) to immerse himself too deeply into his role of Karl Rove, thus beginning a series of twists and turns which both entertains the viewer as well as making the them think.
And to make things even more interesting, while delving further and further into Karl Rove's world, Butler falls in
love with the man he is trying to publicly destroy. Although there many out there who'll rent ' Karl Rove, I Love You' in hopes of seeing a one sided trashing of the Republican Party, they'll be surprised to find out that both parties are equally skewered in this shrewd and funny satire.The message of the movie is: both sides are talking,but neither one is listening.
At one point in the film, Butlers friends become so concerned about his mental state, they secretly follow him only to discover( to their horror) he is secretly having dinner with Rove,their enemy. Their concern for Butler culminates in his friends staging an intervention disguised as an after party play in his honor.
Throw in a conspiracy plot, Dan Butler's supposed suicide and a mysterious Karl Rove like character walking around and you have an entertaining and complex film where the film makers take their audience exactly where they want them to go. And the ride is a highly enjoyable one.
Dan Butler, the film's co-director/ co- writer, along with co-director Phil Leirness and co-writer Julia Miranda have created a witty, satirical look at today's political climate that refuses to dumb down to their audience. The movie may not have Summer Blockbuster written all over it, but 'Karl Rove, I Love You' has a lot more going for it than your typical "popcorn movie."
