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Movie Review: Roseanne for President!

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roseanne for president 2In 2012, Roseanne Barr ran for president of the United States. Roseanne for President! follows the boisterous comedian on her campaign to become the President. The film is a look behind the curtain as she first attempts to run on the Green Party ticket after being recruited by Cynthia McKinney.

The film is honest and brutal in many ways as Roseanne pulls no punches in what she says or generally what she’s thinking. Barr came to the nation’s attention as the bold comedian who became a “working class hero” with her television show that become a hit.

The documentary discusses Barr’s legacy from that television show to her activism and it’s very eye opening. The movie talks to Barr, her family and friends, as well as her campaign manager Farheen, as it follows her on her unconventional nationwide campaign.

That’s interesting about the documentary is it shows Barr’s lack of seriousness about actually winning. She talks about a lot of issues, but you never get the sense she actually wants to win. Her message of ordinary people being heard and empowered though is generally ahead of its time in some ways in politics.

This is the next chapter in Roseanne’s life and for those who are interested in politics its a great documentary that shows some of the process of what it takes to win the nomination of a political party. There’s a lot that’s not shown about politics, but the absurdity of much of it is front and center.

Directed by Eric Weinrib, the film has to be applauded for its honesty and what it’s able to get out from its various subjects, but what’s more interesting in how it doesn’t seem to force any storylines. That’s helped by Barr’s rawness and willingness to say whatever’s on her mind.

The current election can only be described as a circus, but this documentary shows that there’s so much more that goes on and is a reminder that some of that circus began in 2012.

Roseanne for President! is a fascinating film that captures a fragment of the 2012 Presidential race with highs and lows and an honesty in and about politics that isn’t found often enough.

Overall Rating: 8.3

IFC Films provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Roseanne For President! Opens on July 1

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roseanne for president 2In 2012, Roseanne Barr ran for president of the United States.  Although she enjoyed calling herself “the only serious comedian in the race,” the campaign was not a joke. Roseanne for President! is the hilarious, remarkable, moving, and illuminating film that documents how one of the most influential and controversial comedians of all time boldly and passionately extends her legacy as an advocate and symbol for everyday Americans. While peering behind the curtain to see the unusual and highly entertaining world of “other” party politics, Roseanne for President! is also a revealing look at Roseanne’s life and career, and how this bold, brash, Jewish grandmother from Utah made herself into a working class hero.

Her family and friends all attest that Roseanne’s run for president is very real.  Now living in Hawaii with her longtime boyfriend, Roseanne has restricted most of her public appearances over the last few years to the political and social causes that move her:  justice and opportunity for the working class, tax fairness, women’s rights, ending the war, and the legalization of marijuana. Roseanne’s passion and her skill with a crowd prompted former Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney to recruit Roseanne to consider running on the Green Party ticket in 2012. Roseanne seizes the opportunity to continue what she sees as her lifelong mission – to represent the interests of people like her, hard-working, compassionate, and independent.

As Roseanne files her paperwork and undertakes her unconventional nationwide campaign – her spirited campaign manager is a young woman from Minnesota named Farheen – the film also reflects on Roseanne’s life and career, from a childhood where she was first motivated by politics and social justice, to her skyrocketing to fame as stand-up comedy’s “domestic goddess” and her groundbreaking television show. The goal for Roseanne is never to “win,” exactly, but to find a way to speak her truth and encourage others to do the same:  the message behind Roseanne’s work is always that ordinary people should not only be heard, but empowered. Roseanne for President! is the next chapter in Roseanne’s very public life:  as imperfect as she reveals herself to be, she continues to empower herself and make herself a force on behalf of others. And she does so in a way that is, of course, hilarious, outrageous, and completely unique.

Roseanne for President! is directed by Eric Weinrib and distributed by IFC Films. It’ll be released July 1 in New York and on video on demand/digital platforms.