Bob Rutzel
Congressman Charlie Winship (Treat Williams) is tired of being a Congressman, drinks a lot, is undergoing a divorce and and won't stand during the Pledge of Allegiance in the House of Representatives to start the business day. There is a movement to recall him.Charlie gets invited to a small fishing town on an island that is having problems with poachers taking their lobsters. This is where he has a realization of what is important in life and comes to understand what being a Congressman is all about and he is determined to help the town.This is too simple a plot and we needed something more to sustain us. The acting is good all around; and the solutions to the poaching problems were telegraphed from the very beginning. So we just sat back and enjoyed the cinematography, which was very good. There could have been more drama regarding the Recall effort. There could have been more conflicts with the poachers, but all we got was a fishing boat being blown up. Notables: Elizabeth Marvel as Rae, Charlie's romantic interest on the fishing island; George Hamilton as Laird Devereaux who is the prime force to recall Charlie.We were concerned how Charlie would get himself out of being recalled for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance in the House. This came to be the twist we hoped for. (5/10)Violence: Yes. A bloody nose on a basketball court and a fishing boat exploding. Sex: No. Sex: No. Language: Yes and much of it seemed forced.
VanBooter
I won't go into where and when I watched this film, and in what town and theatre I parked my derrière but I did check this film out beforehand at IMDb.The obvious shill reviews at the time was an incredible 5 out of 6 which is usually a red flag and a valid reason to exit the turkey pen. However against all basic instincts I grabbed a copy and watched it.First of all the good signs, I never skipped through it, and I watched it all until the credits rolled. May not be a good indication to you but it is to me.The storyline is well lets just say it's not taxing, I can safely say you don't need a special talent to come up with that one.The acting was good Treat Williams especially, but to be honest George Hamilton was the only person I thought was out of place. What possessed the director when he signed him up heaven knows, the only reason I could think of maybe it was to attract the granny fan base.On my scale it's a 6/10 not a penny more and not a penny less, a nice easy going film which questions ambition over personal relationships.
Carolyn
I am now a big fan of Treat Williams! The Congressman is worth watching just for his outstanding performance, especially the powerful speech he delivers towards the end of the movie. I cried along with several others in the audience. There are plenty of laughs especially every George Hamilton scene. Great cinematography of a spectacularly beautiful island and very good original score. I want to see more message movies like this one. In an age and culture of snark and superficiality, this movie comes through with a seemingly old fashioned message not only of values but of those American values and standards that are worth fighting for. As others have said, this is a modern Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
tgl-79105
35 years ago Robert Mrazek was quoted as saying that a successful screen play should contain a lot of sex and violence or else be "damned good." The latter is the case with "The Congressman," his long-awaited cinematic debut. The violence in "The Congressman" is subtle, the sexuality implied. Mrazek doesn't preach at us as Sorkin might have. He transforms character flaws into cautionary tales, he tells us what can happen in life if we value our own integrity, say what we mean, mean what we say. Take out a few f-bombs and "The Congressman" might serve as a means to teach our children and grandchildren what government service should be all about.
AD
