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New
Schwarzenegger Movie Suffers from Bad Acting, Implausible Script Rating: 
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Produced
by GOP Pictures. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Directed by Pete Wilson.
Special cameos by Jay Leno, Ted Kennedy, and Jesse Ventura.
Running time: 3 years. In English with English subtitles. Rated NC-17 for
senseless violence, unintelligible language, immature sexual overtures, and
occasional nudity. |
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By Daniel Kurtzman Audiences
have been eagerly anticipating the release of "The Governator: Rise of the
Political Machine" since California voters cast Schwarzenegger in the
starring role in October. But for all the fanfare, the film is essentially a
B-movie driven by an absurd plot and punctuated by campy, simplistic dialogue
dumbed down for the multiplex hordes. The film begins promisingly
and entertains for a stretch, but the novelty of an action hero running the
world's fifth largest economy wears thin after the first few scenes.
Schwarzenegger plays an overconfident political neophyte who uses his charm and
ready stock of comic quips to deflect attention from a series of unpopular
budgetary decisions he is forced to make as governor. But he slowly becomes an
irritating onscreen presence as he delivers one cheesy one-liner after another,
promising to "pump up" this and that, and announcing "I'll be
back" every time he exits a room. The film, of course, is not
without its merits. The set design and special interest effects are surprisingly
realistic. The movie also has several highly entertaining action sequences,
although one scene in which Schwarzenegger enthusiastically stuffs Arianna Huffington's head into
a toilet is a bit over the top. And there is an intriguing subplot involving a
criminal probe into various groping allegations against the governor. But it
ultimately leads nowhere, as does the implausible love line between
Schwarzenegger and Kennedy clan member Maria Shriver. Director Pete Wilson, working
on an epic scale that comes with a $100 billion budget, propels the storyline
with the same energy that won him two terms as California's governor in the
1990s. But it's not enough to overcome Schwarzenegger's lackluster performance,
which suffers from narcissistic self-indulgence and too much time spent preening
for the camera. The film reaches its dramatic
conclusion when Republicans, having taken over every federal and statewide
office in America, successfully amend the Constitution to allow foreign-born
citizens to run for president. Schwarzenegger is anointed the Republican
presidential candidate in 2016, and that is presumably where the sequel will
pick up — with Schwarzenegger launching his campaign to succeed Jeb Bush as
president. The ending, of course, is
completely contrived, and viewers are not likely to buy into the premise for the
sequel. But if Schwarzenegger's track record is any guide, it's a safe bet that
the masses will demand to see it anyway. More
Arnold Humor |
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