By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
February 25, 2008
Blue State looks at just how far one young man will go to prove his point that the wrong candidate won the 2004 presidential elections.
When John Kerry loses to George W. Bush, one of Kerry’s campaign workers makes good on his promise to move to Canada if Bush is elected president.
The disgruntled volunteer John (Breckin Meyer, Clueless) is a borderline slacker who most likely would’ve been too lazy to move anywhere if his friends didn’t remind him about his promise. Then, too, there’s the invitation from a Canadian dating service that promises him a bevy of women to date if he heads north. Heading to a different country is daunting (and can be expensive), so John finds someone willing to share the expenses of driving from California to Canada.
Chloe (played by Anna Paquin, The Piano) is a lovely and somewhat mysterious young woman who challenges John’s opinions and makes him think about why he believes what he believes. They bicker in the way that people do when they are attracted to each other. Chloe also has a few secrets of her own, some of which she hides behind ambivalence and a tiny bit of fear.
Paquin, who also served as one of the film’s executive producers, is particularly convincing in her role: Smart, sweet and cynical, she complements Meyer’s endearing acting style.
The filmmakers make no apologies for their political leanings; though this romantic comedy would like viewers to think about what is happening in U.S. politics, it doesn’t bludgeon the point too often.
Where the film falters occasionally is in the hefty dialogue between Chloe and John. Do people really talk like that? And if they do, shouldn’t they stop for their own sake?
