THE CONTENDER Reviewed on April 10th, 2001 By Jerry Saravia
Rod Lurie's "The Contender" has been criticized for taking a strong liberal, Democratic side as far as the political race is concerned. I hasten to disagree though one can argue but why carp? "The Contender" is about the race for political office, and how in this post-Clinton climate, a presidential nomination is based on one's personal life, not the political.
The fabulous Joan Allen ("Pleasantville," "Nixon") stars as the fierce, determined, stubborn, sexy Laine Hanson, a senator who has just been appointed as a vice-presidential nominee by the President of the United States (Jeff Bridges). Laine is everything a promising new candidate should be: she has a loving husband, a young son, and loves politics. Problem is she is also a woman, and has a sketchy past (not to mention she is an atheist). It is discovered that she may have been involved in explicit sexual acts with several guys while in college. GOP Rep. Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman) is deter mined to blast the news all over the media - his agenda also stems from disapproval of a woman in office, regardless of her past actions.
Hanson's solution is clear: either admit to these past indiscretions or admit that they never transpired. But Hanson is fierce and stubborn - she also has some sense of decency. She refuses to admit to anything and would rather keep mum than fall for Runyon's own stubborness and sense of moral code. What Runyon does not realize is that his own obsession of Hanson's sexual past is likely to put him in conflict with the President and cause a genuine lack of credibility.
"The Contender" can be considered liberal and Democratic but I take issue with that. I think the film mainly wants us to see how devalued the political process has become. We should not judge a political candidate based on their sexual or personal history. Our focus should be on the candidate's stand on political issues. I am sure everyone can agree that it should be the case with Republican or Democratic parties. Should a woman take office if she could get pregnant while in the midst of a nuclear crisis? Or if she got her period? As Hanson threateningly says at one point to Runyon while having lunch: "If someone has to push that button, be sure it is a woman who is getting laid."
There is a subplot involving an FBI agent inquiring about Hanson and another vice-presidential candidate caught in some hot water over an incident resembling Ted Kennedy's own Chappaquidick incident. The candidate is Gov. Jack Hathaway (William Petersen), who failed to rescue a woman trapped inside a car in the river. Hathaway's noble yet failed attempt at a rescue risks his chances of becoming vice president. Again we are asked, why should a man's nobility in a decidedly apolitical incident ruin his political future?
"The Contender" has great performances and several robust sequences of cunning direction and acute sensibility. Not one shot or line of dialogue is wasted. Everything flows with terrific precision. Oldman's snickering and Bridges's authoritative understanding add to the potency of the material. But it is Joan Allen's robust performance that takes us deep inside the political process and asks us not to question her actions or past indiscretions as much as whether they really matter in the end.
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E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at faustus_08520@yahoo.com
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