Release: Dean

 

Dean

Genre: Biography/Political

Director: George Clooney

Writer: Alex Conn

Cast: George Clooney, Jessica Chastain, Jeremy Strong, Carey Mulligan, Dane DeHaan, Brian D'Arcy James, Cheryl Hines

Budget: $45,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $25,509,558

Foreign Box Office: $13,581,301

Total Profit: -$38,855,245

Reaction: George Clooney's star power may not be what it once - but the bigger issue here may be the poor box office track record of recent political films and that this film failed to stand above them.

"I was skeptical about Clooney casting himself as the fiery Vermonter in the titular role, as he doesn't exactly read "political outsider" to me. But since Dean's campaign is painted as a cult-of-personality, Clooney's charisma is well-placed and the acting ends up being a highlight across the board with Strong, James, and Chastain all putting in good work. Ultimately, the film is stuffed with some smaller storylines that don't truly impact the story in a meaningful way and so you have over-qualified actors in roles that don't add up to much. It has a clear climax to build around and a thesis in mind, but fails at fully building a compelling narrative that brings those two things together." - Reggie Coscarelli, San Fernando Valley Sun

"Though at times Dean writer Alex Conn's script showed some strong promise, the film itself fails to make its topic of discussion interesting or at least intriguing. George Clooney can try to carry the movie as best as he can (both in front and behind the camera) but it feels like it all loses focus of it's intent as it went along." - Frannie Drake, CBC News

"George Clooney’s Dean is a (moderately) well-crafted but unnecessary political drama that tries to elevate Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign into a grand American tragedy. While the film is sharply acted, the script overstates Dean’s significance, as if he were a fallen revolutionary rather than a briefly promising candidate undone by media sensationalism. Clooney commits to the role, but the film’s reverence for Dean feels misplaced. The infamous “YEEAARRGH” moment is treated like a Shakespearean betrayal, yet it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is a story without lasting consequences. Additionally, the inclusion of several fictional characters hints at the notion that there really isn't enough story for a compelling film based on the subject matter. Dean is a sometimes engrossing political drama, but one that struggles to justify why it needed to be told in the first place." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for language and thematic material