Right America: Feeling Wronged

February. 15,2009      
Rating:
7.1
Trailer Synopsis Cast

HBO documentary about interviews with conservatives in America regarding their opinion about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign and election.

Katie Couric as  Self
Sean Hannity as  Self
Earl Cameron as  Self
John McCain as  Self
Barack Obama as  Self
Sarah Palin as  Self
Alexandra Pelosi as  Self

Reviews

Tedfoldol
2009/02/15

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

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TrueHello
2009/02/16

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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Zlatica
2009/02/17

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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Jakoba
2009/02/18

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

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Robert J. Maxwell
2009/02/19

Alexander Pelosi (Nancy's daughter) hikes along with McCain's "Straight Talk Express" and captures interviews and images of Midwesterners attending Republican gatherings.It's always difficult to judge a documentary like this. There are no familiar pundits or talking heads or politicians in front of the camera. No prepared speeches. These are just a couple of dozen ordinary people speaking extemporaneously.The question is how representative they are, what universe are they drawn from. Not one of them seems to have anything resembling a sophisticated position on politics or any of its aspects. Buzz words and phrases abound as substitutes for thought. We've all heard most of them -- "socialism," "Obamanation", "Hitler", and the rest. But this can't possibly be a scientific sample. For one thing, these are super-committed people who are intensely enough motivated to drag their behinds off the couch and out of the house and take themselves and their babies to a Republican rally. For another, we can't have any idea of how many entirely sensible people were interviewed and the footage clipped out and left on the floor of the editing room. We can be reasonably sure the subjects don't represent conservative Republicans, but that these people exist at all is a disturbing realization.But, judging from what we see, politics isn't the issue that engages these good people anyway. It's something else, much harder to define than, say, commitment to a certain monetary policy. What's most impressive about these interviews is the hatred. They love McCain and Palin but they hate Obama far more.Some of their facts are plain wrong. Obama won't salute the flag, he's not a full-blooded American, he referred to "my Muslim faith" (three times). Other facts are not so much right or wrong as much as practically incomprehensible in 2008. Obama doesn't deserve to be president because he's a N*****. He's a socialist. He's the Anti-Christ says one perfectly normal looking middle-aged man. Once he's sworn in on the Koran, he'll pull off his mask and invite the terrorists in. He'll start the Russian revolution right here in America.The interviewees believe that Katie Couric is part of a media conspiracy, that CNN and the rest are "in the tank for Obama." They won't watch the mainstream news media on TV. Their only trusted news source is Fox because it presents the news in a "fair and balanced" way.Several of the people interviewed predict a revolution in this country in the next few years -- and they may be right. Not in a literal sense but in the sense of procedure -- civil disobedience, jury nullification, impeachment, filibusters like the old days, assassinations, that sort of thing. And if it happens, which any sane person must hope it won't, it will come from some of the people who proudly voice their opinions here.Underlying all this rhetorical heat is a strain of pathos. These are honest and concerned folks from the Heartland of America. They hold their sentiments so dear that they sometimes weep in expressing them. They boo at the mention of Obama's name, or Harry Reid's or Nancy Pelosi's, "a trifecta of the devil." And when Obama wins, the rallies fall silent. A pretty young woman tearfully tells Pelosi that the people have spoken and we'll have to get together and hold our heads up and do the best we can. We get the impression that she doesn't represent the others at the rally. We get the sense that their anger has changed to an abject rage. If anyone doubts it, I suggest checking out the comments on Obama on one of the news boards -- Newsvine or Buzz Up.If Alex Pelosi was conning any of these people into making fools of themselves, there's no sign of it. On the contrary, she seems at times to be genuinely puzzled and asks if they'd like to clarify their statements. She's polite and sympathetic to an old woman who is saying the rosary at a rally, praying that McCain will win. If the subjects of these brief interviews were to watch the film and ask if they'd been tricked or humiliated or misrepresented, I honestly believe they'd say no, that they were proud of their opinions and happy to have a chance to express them on national TV.Nothing in the film is truly surprising except the depth of hatred for Obama. I've lived through the turbulent 1960s and other passing periods of national distress, but I've never in my life seen such despair on the part of so many people.

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ademmler
2009/02/20

Slanted - no doubt. And I will try to watch the other views - I believe Sarah Palin involved in a documentary about the liberal media and I will watch that also. BUT, this kind of movie-making needs to be a part of our discussions.These people are REAL and their views may be right-on - who knows? I for one disagree with them, but I need to understand them. I have lived with people like this and worked with people like this. I feel sad that their views can be short-sighted. BUT, everyone needs to watch this and make their own decisions.Maybe this movie just speaks to one of the issues Obama was running on??? - EDUCATION. Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it! I guess I should try to watch Fox news now?! - ouch , hurts the brain.

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gotmojo68
2009/02/21

First off, this was made by Nancy Peolsi's daughter, so much for a fair project. I'm not saying these people are not a part of America, unfortunately they are, but to say they represent everyone that didn't vote for Obama is false. This would be like Newt Gingrich going to Berkeley or San Francisco and filming flag burners and troop protesters and saying that this is the average Obama supporter. I live in New Orleans, part of fly over country, and I know no one like the people in this film. If someone voted against Obama because he is black, their wrong. If people voted for Obama because he's black, their wrong too. I'm white and voted for Ron Paul. My girlfriend's black and voted for Obama. I know people who voted for Obama just cause it was the "it" thing to do. And that to is wrong. If this country is going to come together both the far right and the far left need to go far away.

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americanborn
2009/02/22

To say that "The producer has chosen to edit this documentary by highlighting the most ignorant people she could find out there" is typical of the kind of criticism you might expect of a film that you don't like, but the reality is, this film hit the head on the nail. It provides a pretty accurate depiction of the attitudes that are commonplace once you venture beyond the west and east coast in the United States. I have lived throughout the United States, raised in a bastion of conservatism (Arizona), and even lived in the pinnacle of liberalism (San Francisco) for a time. I have also lived in Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah and elsewhere in this country not to mention outside of this country. I have seen and experienced firsthand what we see in this film more than I care to and I was happy to see that I was not the only one who felt that a mirror needed to be held up. There are deep divisions in America today, and while some critics might want to just dust off a piece of work like this and say this is an extreme sample and therefore not representative of a large part of the American population has not spent too much time in middle America. It pains me to no end to know that this documentary is not just a biased piece from the "liberal media elite" but rather a scary picture of where this country has found itself. If you, like the editor's of the Daily Mirror once wrote ever thought... "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?" This film will at least provide a bit of reassurance that you are not alone in asking the question. If on the other hand you think that the biggest problem facing the United States is the end of days that the media liberal elite is working in cahoots with the Liberal establishment to bring about, then you will be reassured that you are not alone as well. Either way, don't blame the messenger.Yes, we are divided.

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