4.0 out of 5 stars
Red State/Blue State Romeo/Juliet Romance, October 5, 2008
This review is from: Conventioneers (DVD)
Conventioneers is the story of an ill-fated romance between two opposites--David Massey (Matthew Mabe,) a red-state, flag-lapel wearing, pro-Bush conservative Republican from Texas and Lea Jones (Woodwyn Koons), a blue-state, anti-Bush liberal Democrat activist from Connecticut. The two were friends in college and are reunited through the Republican National Convention in New York City. He's there to attend the convention, while she's there to protest it. He's married and she's engaged, but the two find themselves attracted to each other. One night, they get drunk and go to bed. They try to go back to being friends, but they can't and begin an illicit affair. Lea's liberal friends, who are planning to protest the convention, are not too happy that she is hanging out with David. David, who now has feelings for Lea, questions his conservative beliefs.
Lea's friend, Dylan Murtaugh (Alek Friedman), who has largely dropped out of protesting since he had a child, contemplates taking a job as a sign language translator for George W. Bush, the very man he has been protesting. Lea and his other liberal protester friends urge him to stage a protest of Bush's policies while he is translating at the convention. Will he have the guts to actually do it?
The film feels very real and authentic. It is shot like a documentary, blending the scripted plot with real scenes of actual protests outside the convention. The actors are all unknowns and actually look like real people, not fashion models. This is not a slick Hollywood popcorn flick. Everything is not neatly tied up with a phony, all's well Hollywood ending. You would do better to watch this than most of the fluff at your local theatre.
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