Grassroots (R)

Film

Comedy

Jason Biggs, center, and Joel David Moore, right, in Grassroots

Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>2/5
 

Time Out says

Mon Jul 9 2012

Based on Seattle’s 2001 city council elections, Stephen Gyllenhaal’s political satire tells the real-life story of candidate Grant Cogswell (Joel David Moore) who took on, and nearly beat, long-entrenched incumbent Richard McIver (a winning Cedric the Entertainer). In fictionalizing the campaign, Gyllenhaal and his cowriters focus as much on Cogswell’s levelheaded manager, Phil Campbell (Jason Biggs), as they do on the excitable populist himself—a decision that means the complexities of the electoral process are often pushed aside in favor of lauding community activism or lame subplots involving Phil’s romantic life. Factor in a questionable use of 9/11 footage, and this is one film as misguided as the business-as-usual subject it aims to critique.

Follow Andrew Schenker on Twitter: @aschenker

Author: Andrew Schenker

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Release details

Rated:

R

US release:

Fri Jul 13 2012

Duration:

100 mins

Cast and crew

Cast:

Jason Biggs, Lauren Ambrose, Joel David Moore

Director:

Stephen Gyllenhaal

Screenwriter:

Stephen Gyllenhaal, Justin Rhodes