Release: Repeal and Replace

 

Repeal and Replace

Genre: Drama/Political

Director: Paul Schrader

Writer: Alex Conn

Cast: Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Raul Esparza, Michael Shannon, Keri Russell, Corey Stoll, Matthew Modine, Matthew Rhys, Noah Emmerich

Budget: $31,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $33,433,198

Foreign Box Office: $8,489,404

Total Profit: -$23,104,100

Reaction: This is just the second film in LRF history to utilize the "Political" genre, following Season 7's Clinton scandal film, Stained. Like that film, this one struggled at the box office, especially overseas where audiences do not appear to be interested in films about recent U.S. political events.

"On paper, the idea of a Paul Schrader movie about a politician having a gradual breakdown sounds like a real treat. Unfortunately this never nears its true potential. While it spends a lot of time in the minutiae of the politics, the film is unable to nail the emotional backbone in between. For example, the film's emotional climax - Ryan breaking down in his confessional - is undercut by an earlier scene of him crying in bed that is briskly rushed through. The ensemble assembled is certainly impressive, even if some feel a few degrees off from their real-life counterpart." - Reggie Coscarelli, San Fernando Valley Sun

"Though Jon Hamm is brilliant in his role, I found the movie lacking enough oomf to make it striking as it kind of goes hot and cold through the movie. For the changing turn of making challenging narratives, this has to be the one where Alex didn't give his full attention to." - Frannie Drake, CBC News

"I appreciate that writer Alex Conn and director Paul Schrader tried to make a politically balanced drama with the subject matter. In the process though, they ended up making a film that isn't particularly entertaining. Jon Hamm does good work as Paul Ryan, but the film's characterization of its real-life figures is disappointingly superficial, reducing complex political personas to one-dimension. On paper, Michael Shannon should have been able to go wild with a role like Trump, but the script's take on the character is dry and lacking in personality, crippling Shannon's talents." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for language and thematic elements