Entertainment

“The Undefeated” is a narrative buster and choir preaching event

Christian Toto Contributor
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“The Undefeated” is the best feature-length campaign commercial ever for a candidate who isn’t even running for office.

Or is she?

The story of Sarah Palin’s unlikely rise from workaday Wasilla mom to vice presidential candidate remains a fascinating one, more than enough to power a documentary which doesn’t for a moment pretend to be balanced.

Even by the tilted standards set by Michael Moore and Alex Gibney (“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer”) “Undefeated” is a biased affair, at least from the rough cut seen by The Daily Caller.

The voices here are all on Team Palin, be they radio talkers like Mark Levin or members of her Alaskan administration. There’s not a single voice of consequence against Palin, no one to besmirch the image being painted.

That’s ends up being “The Undefeated’s” greatest strength and weakness. The media narrative paints Palin as a dim, divisive bulb. But Governor Palin rubbed both parties the wrong way during her abbreviated time as her state’s chief executive, wrestling bipartisan deals when she needed them most.

“The Undefeated” is a bracing corrective to a media which seizes on her every misstep, real and imagined. It’s also a reminder that she can give one heck of a speech, something that shouldn’t be discounted as talk of her presidential aspirations mount. (Palin movie sparks a changing media narrative)

But making her a quasi-saint doesn’t do anyone, including herself, much good. And it renders “The Undefeated” both predictable and too easy to dismiss.

Director Stephen K. Bannon sees greatness in his subject matter, a Reagan-esque figure who doesn’t mind being unpopular if it means getting the job done.

Bannon takes great pleasure in his bold visual cues, showing snarling dogs when the attacks on Palin intensify and people hiding weapons behind their backs to illustrate the nasty nature of politics.

A cheap but effective gimmick opens the film. After hearing celebrities like Matt Damon, Sharon Osbourne and Howard Stern bash Palin in often crude fashion we see images of Palin as a toddler, bright faced and eager to please.

Palin’s political ambitions first flared in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The tragedy opened her eyes to both abuses of power and the balance required to keep the country’s power supply coming.

She started her career as Mayor of Wasilla, but parlayed that role to become chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and, later, governor of her beloved home state.

She was greeted in the governor’s office by an ungainly budget and brickbats coming from all sides. She ended up coaxing Democrats to vote for her key issues while refusing to give fellow Republicans a pass.

In short, she didn’t feel beholden to either party. This was a woman who gave up her lucrative gig with the aforementioned energy commission to do what she saw was the right thing.

Does any of this roll off the tongue? If Tina Fey didn’t say it, or it didn’t appear in the governor’s emails The New York Times begged readers to pore over a few weeks back, then to many news consumers it didn’t happen.

Yet “The Undefeated” does a poor job of detailing the media bias surrounding her. It’s not enough to show snippets of liberal talkers like Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann shredding her.

Bannon has little material to work with during Palin’s mayoral days, so he cranks up the melodramatic music to keep us engaged. These sequences let Palin, heard from snippets of the audio version of her autobiography “Going Rogue,” show her wonky side.

The film blames McCain suspending the campaign during the the country’s financial crisis for allowing Obama to regain the momentum for good. That’s about as far as “The Undefeated” goes toward explaining how the McCain/Palin ticket lost. The race is given less attention than her now iconic introduction at the Republican National Convention.

Watching “The Undefeated” reminds us of one incontrovertible fact. Palin gives great speeches. Yes, that accent isn’t for everyone. But her delivery, combined with a blend of sass and steel, make her a formidable political player.

Her explanation for quitting as Alaska’s governor feels more complete here than in her book, “Going Rogue.” A flotilla of faux ethical complaints threatened to bankrupt her and prevent her from getting anything done as governor. That begs the question about her future political ambitions. Won’t her enemies attempt a similar strategy? What will be different next time?

Palin didn’t directly participate in this documentary, but it’s hard to believe she’d complain about anything included here. (Palin: ‘I believe that I can win a national election’)

“She owned what she was saying, that’s what we don’t see in other politicians,” says radio talker Tammy Bruce in one of many spirited defense of Palin the politician.

“The Undefeated” is a narrative buster and choir preaching event all in one. The media may believe Palin lacks the brains and experience to be the nation’s next Commander in Chief, but she doesn’t look so stupid addressing complex energy matters or rocking approval ratings north of 80 percent.

But it still seems unlikely to impact Palin’s 2012 presidential plans – assuming she even has one.