The movie commences with a montage of attacks against Palin from the media and such Hollywood figures as Matt Damon and Bill Maher. It’s one thing to point out that Palin has often been viciously ridiculed, but Bannon eschews subtlety here in favor of enraged intensity. With the conviction of a fuming Howard Beale, Bannon slices and dices his footage like a heavy-metal music video. The result is exhausting, and it soon becomes apparent that the entire movie will be handled in a similar manner. David Cebert’s incessant score ominously broods when “corrupt politicians” or “elitist liberals” invade the screen, only to switch to an angelic female singer when Palin delivers a speech.
Bannon interviews an assortment of Palin’s former colleagues and advisers, who portray the woman as a bipartisan go-getter unafraid to confront Big Oil. (Palin, who wasn’t interviewed for the film, occasionally chimes in via excerpts from her audio book Going Rogue: An American Life.) The movie focuses on such achievements as the governor’s role in passing the ACES (Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share) program, which — earmuffs, Tea Party Nation — raised taxes on oil companies and redistributed the wealth to the state’s residents.
The rest of the documentary deals with Palin’s transition from Alaskan success story to national celebrity, with conservative bigwigs like Mark Levin and Andrew Breitbart adding their voices to the choir. A considerable chunk of time is spent revisiting Palin’s acceptance speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention, with Bannon relying on low-grade digital video that wouldn’t pass muster on YouTube. Curiously, Bannon skips the majority of the election campaign — John McCain is barely mentioned — and moves straight into Palin’s return to Alaska, her subsequent resignation, and her newfound status as a Tea Party luminary.
By the time we reach The Undefeated‘s coda, which practically ordains Palin as the second coming of Ronald Reagan, the movie has become nothing more than a gaudy campaign ad to rally the hockey mom’s supporters. That’s a shame, for Palin deserves a documentary that thoughtfully considers her impact on political discourse. For now, we’re left with this hyperventilating dog of a film — one that’s willing to do whatever it takes to please its master.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/07/19/undefeated-sarah-palin-documentary/--- Newsbusters just couldn't let a mixed review from ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY :rofl: go without some rebuttal ---
---goes straight to playing victim ---
'Undefeated' Receives Unflattering Treatment from Entertainment Weekly
After Entertainment Weekly graciously gave grades of B+ to Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and A- to former Vice President Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth,' EW's John Young has bestowed a much different treatment on his review of the new Sarah Palin political documentary, 'The Undefeated.'
The conservative documentary, which successfully opened last weekend in limited release, was given a snarky review under the headline "Sarah Palin's 'The Undefeated': We saw it so you don't have to!".
While 'The Undefeated' is admittedly told from a conservative viewpoint, the criticism of it, compared to the warm reception of Moore and Gore's liberally biased films, is remarkable.
Read more:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/aubrey-vaughan/2011/07/20/undefeated-receives-unflattering-treatment-entertainment-weekly#ixzz1SmjcVukq
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