"A quaint picture book that leaves all negative footage on the cutting room floor. It’s a nice historical document, but it never sinks below the surface for a true emotional account of the experience. "
A moving scrapbook leading up to and going through the election process of our first black president, By the People is a backstage pass to the rock star that is Barack Obama. It gives opposers more reasons to hate him, and supporters more reasons to love him. Which really means that it isn't pointed in any direction at all. It simply serves as a collection of historical video photographs. Its vanilla pudding propaganda at its best. And it's a little too bland to stir up any real controversy.
The film doesn't seem too concerned about pulling lofty messages out of the sky. Rather than create a documentary with a slopping arc, directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams serve up a slipshod photo album culled from backstage video snippets. Its not a film to watch if you're extremely tired, as it may lull you into a sitting nap. Neither Rice or Sams seem intent on pushing any political message home. If you love and support Obama, you will enjoy this quiet, effecting look at the road leading up to his presidential election. If you're a tea party member with a slanted view of the man, you'll be able to pick and sift through this wobbly stew, and find enough reasons to call him a do-nothing president. From the evidence presented here, he's not doing much but shaking hands and smiling brightly.
By the People is as quaint and dignified as a children's picture book. We see carefully selected clips of Obama being the everyman superhero a great portion of the American public believe him to be. We see him interacting with his staff and supporters. And we see his family at home, talking with him on the phone. The bad moments are vigilantly shucked from existence. There are no negative vibes squeezed into this video portrait. We see no bickering between the wife, or fights between the kids. We never see Obama sneaking away for a smoke. Everyone is presented as smiling, shiny, and perfect. Is that because they are? Nope. They're human, just like everyone else. This film just simply doesn't want to offend anyone. At all. It's blandly structured for a very wide demographic. It's something grade school kids and old ladies alike can watch. It's nothing more than a Barack Obama pop-up book.
It's not much different from the slick pro-US party line materials that came out of World War II. The country and its people have had it bad for the last couple of years. By the People wants to wave a supportive flag that pumps up our patronage as a collective public. It also sets Obama up as the ultimate American underdog. We start with Barack contemplating an electoral run. We then hold his hands through the happier moments. Intercut within this are ordinary, average citizens pontificating on Obama's chances at a seat in the white house. We hear from Republican's via Fox News on how he hasn't ever really done anything before this. Watching the man creep towards that most coveted of jobs; you'll either smile politely, or complain about the fact that this white haired, grumpy old man on Fox is right. It really doesn't seem as though he's done anything of importance. Ever. Except become the first black president. And that's the downfall of the film.
You never get a sense that this particular political race is anything special. We met the speechwriters, and they look like young kids fresh out of college. We get to sit in with Obama's caucus, making reach out phone calls to clueless Middle Americans. And we get to ride along as Obama wins polls left and right. There's a lot of cheering. Its motion is set forth like a real-life Disney sports film. More than anything, it presents our 44th president as a normal dude. Which has been the case since he hit the scene in 2007. As he heads towards that Democratic presidential primary, the music swells, and we watch as Obama struggles against the odds to win. It's a pure bred American fairytale with unprecedented back stage access. Because it never sings a downbeat, the drama is deflated. It's all a little anti-climactic. Especially since we know how it all ends.
Would we be seeing this footage had Obama not won the presidency? Yes, because it would have been used to win him the presidency in 2012. After watching By the People, it's incredibly hard not to like the guy. Though we never really see his politics in action, we do see how he interacts in the work place. It's all very positive and uplifting. There is a delightful energy that surrounds and engulfs Obama. If this were a mockumentary, or a fictional, faux documentary about "our first black president", we'd view it as corny. Maybe a little unrealistic.
If you like watching Barack Obama as he sings behind the scenes, shacking hands and being the goodhearted family man we've come to know him for, then you'll enjoy this historical, nearly emotionless scrapbook. If you're looking for something scandalous, or if you're hoping to get a peek into the man's political thought board, you'll have to go someplace else. This gives us no new information at all. As a cool little picture book, it gets a Whoop-doo. As a true portrait of the man behind the 44th presidency, it gets a boo! Simply because its afraid to bring in an ounce of conflict into its construct. Expect for the occasional jibe at Hilary Clinton. In all honesty, her story, with its major losses near the end, is far more interesting on a human, emotional level.
(All of B. Alan Orange's reviews are based on the Boo! or Whoop-doo! evaluation system.)
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