Hailed as one of TV’s most promising new series, Peacock ties together a presidential race that could change the country’s two-party gridlock. The show stars Ann Dowd as ruthless Capitol Hill Housewife, Sylvia Rosen.
Directed by : Amy Rice
Written by : Evan Parter
Produced by : Sam Bisbee
Theodora Dunlap
Caddy Vanasirikul
Ryan Cunningham
Evan Parter
Starring : Jodie Turner-Smith
Brian Cox
Luke Kirby
Stephen Lang
Ann Dowd
John Cena
Cinematography : David Johnson
Edited by : Gershon Hinkson
Music by : Jessica Rose Weiss
Production companies : Park Pictures
Anonymous Content
Next Productions
Orogen Entertainment
The Exchange
Distributed by : Relativity Media
Release date :
November 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)
Country : United States
Language : English
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Love it or hate it, you can’t blame “Peacock” for coming out close to the all-important 2022 midterm elections. Nor can you argue with the way this thriller grounds itself in our current political reality, where an inexperienced celebrity candidate can come out of nowhere and rise to prominence just by making a seemingly viable plan for an escape from America’s two-party problem. Some say this blurs the lines between right and wrong, with one side fueling rage while the other tells people to sit on their hands and whine about it. We’ll have to wait and see if audiences are willing to watch a polished but superficial depiction of power politics and shaken faith in journalism.
The first narrative feature by documentary director Amy Rice is sturdy enough by most standards. Most direct-to-streaming movie premieres aren’t very appealing, but this one zips along with some brisk economy and establishes the story without cluttering it too much. It falters a bit during the climax and suffers from some contrived plot twists.
The film is also burdened with an uneven cast. Brian Cox is playing the role of a veteran Washington political columnist with one last bombshell scoop on his way out of a crumbling free-press institution, and while no one’s complaining about him, I wish he’d been given a more compelling character to offer gravitas as the “larger than life” father of two who has been married for 39 years. Likewise, Ann Dowd was wonderfully tough and ruthless in her portrayal of Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (the model for Tenn.), who demonstrates pragmatism and competence similar to Hillary Clinton’s coupled with backbone.
An enterprising reporter, Jodie Turner-Smith, and an independent candidate with “Country Over Party” as their campaign slogan, John Cena, lack the range to bring much nuance to these two characters.
As Campaign Manager, Nate Sterling (Cena) thinks the setup should be efficiently executed as a race rally speech. Nate was previously an athlete with an interest in the decathlon and has shook up the race by writing his bestselling manifesto: A Declaration of Independence. His touch with people and ability to step into everyone’s shoes are what make him a good potential President. Nate is pitted against Patricia Turnbull (Dowd), who has gained traction from moderate voters; and the Democratic Party’s incumbent, President Archer (Slezak), who is so underdeveloped he’s not relevant.
After only getting into politics a year before, Sterling paints a bleak picture of a nation that’s hurting badly after two long, costly wars; recessions; deadly globally-spread pandemics; classrooms getting shot up; climate change; and the horrific scene of the Capitol being under siege. His message is that America has always bounced back from struggles in the face of adversity in order to provide opportunity for young people. But there’s uncertainty as to whether an Independent can win in a two-party country–even when their opponents are bad choices.
In The Washington Chronicle, hard-nosed editor in chief Gordon White warns staff that the new owner will bring about a major shakeup. Those who can’t deliver may get fired.
As Eli James (Turner-Smith) steps forward to propose a story on cuts to education funding, the spineless senior reporters stay silent. Eli proposes writing about how a low-income West Virginia school district will be switching to four-day weeks, where the students won’t have Friday classes anymore. White is skeptical that the general public would care much about “the banjo-pickers”, so he reluctantly concedes and assigns it to more seasoned reporters.
Eli finally gets a lucky break when influential columnist Nicholas Booker (Cox) recognizes her talent. He’s juggling a messy divorce and constant TV political pundit bookings while secretly planning his retirement right after the election. He recruits her to be his backup on the remaining weeks of his column, promising to see that she’s elevated before he leaves there himself. Her access to privileged information through her romantic relationship with Sterling campaign strategist Lucas Nicoll (Luke Kirby) creates tension at home.
The film is absorbing enough even with the ordinary dark-and-moody images, and it relies too much on Jessica Rose Weiss’s score to lend weight to both emotional moments and the sense of intrigue. Director Rice gets his work done, but he’s no Alan J. Pakula.
Mostly, the plot just seems way too easy. Eli connects dots of an anomalous downturn in lottery jackpots – unheard of in a recession – with school budget cuts, big campaign donors, and shadowy Super PACs. There’s also a touch of the schematic in Eli’s career hanging in the balance while she navigates a tricky situation with Lucas and her adored activist dad (Willie C. Carpenter) undergoes cancer treatment. Parter’s dialogue is sometimes on the nose; Booker questions if Sterling’s candidacy is a vanity run: “We’ve seen what happens when a narcissist with no experience turns delusions of grandeur into reality.” Clang.
Though she has a mild American accent that is there some of the time, Turner-Smith does well in her role. Though she does not communicate that Eli is an underestimated force to be reckoned with, which would make for a more compelling film, she is still good enough for her part despite this flaw. Cena does fairly well as a wholesome and relatable figure who comes from nothing and becomes an overnight star. He is believable as someone who only needs to present himself well in order to become a political figure because appearance matters more than anything else in this arena.
The film is best when Cox unleashes his bulldog persona or Dowd reveals the wily player behind the smug bully, a character drawn with welcome even-handedness. Lang is suitably gruff as a lifetime newspaper man whose ethics have eroded while he eyed the bottom line and the shifting tides of his imperiled profession. And Kirby is terrific in another underwritten role.