George Parker "Spinning Boris" tells a tall tale of three American political campaign consultants who are retained by the Russians to help an ill, oft intoxicated, and very unpopular Boris Yeltsin win Russia's first post-Cold War democratic election. What you'll get is lots of snappy patter as the culturally challenged Goldblum, Schreiber, and La Paglia try against all odds to spin Yeltsin with the help of his daughter and a meager cast of characters. What you won't see is anyone standing in for Yeltsin or anything really Russian save some file footage and postcard shots of Moscow. An obviously contrived but cleverly wrought dialogue-intensive synthesis about a hapless trio of election engineers out of their element, "Spinning Boris" conjures humor and heart which should appeal most to those into political comedy/dramedy. (B)

jacksflicks Can't believe I haven't caught this flick until now. Glad the Europeans seem to like it (except one, but he doesn't like anything).Spinning Boris certainly rates a higher score than 7. The production values - photography, sets, locations, sound - are faultless, as are the pacing, the length, the script, the casting and the direction. And believe me, I was watching for gaffs.It's been a long time since I've laughed out loud so many times in a movie. Of course, it's impossible not to be amused by Jeff Goldblum - even when he's serious, he's possessed of an irresistible archness. And I never tired of Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber, with their quick shifts between resourcefulness and panic.It's difficult to say which of the plot points take dramatic license and which are documentary, because the whole story is believable. I don't think the Russians are patronized nor the Americans built up - they all have their virtues and foibles. In fact, the story makes it plain that it is the Americans who are introducing guile into the process on the (ironically Leninist) thesis that the ends justify the means.I should liked to have seen if the little flirtation between Goldblum and Tatiana led to anything. Likewise, I should like to have known the other characters better: Felix, the go-between, who had a touching moment pondering the fate of World War II veterans selling their medals to make ends meet; Lugov, the mysterious Mafioso; and the Elvis impersonator who became a drinking buddy. And, of course, Tatiana, Yeltsin's daughter, who rates her own biopic. Lots of potential spinoffs here.Can't wait for the video!

MDM-4 Released in the US at the time of another Russian Presidential election, "Spinning Boris", is a humorous, fact-based dramatization of the 1996 Russian Presidential election, directed by Roger Spottiswoode (who also directed the Bond film, "Tomorrow Never Dies," and the bio-pic "Noriega: God's Favorite").The first post-Soviet election in Russia pitted Boris Yeltsin, a man once considered a hero but now, after five years of attempted coups, hyperinflation, and war in Chechnya, has lower approval ratings than Stalin, against political opponents ranging from kooky (the xenophobic Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who wants to retake Alaska), to Communist (Gennady Zyuganov, who vows to restore the Soviet Union). In Yeltsin's view (and that of some powerful forces on both sides of the Atlantic) the future of Russia is at stake: do people want to live with the challenges and opportunities of free choice, or fall back to the failed Communist system (along with newly wealthy oligarchs losing their power).How can a candidate be "guaranteed" victory in a democracy? Hire the best political advisors money can buy, in this case George Gorton (Jeff Goldblum), Dick Dresner (Anthony LaPaglia), and Joe Shumate (Liev Schreiber, playing a more open operative than in his last Russian adventure, "The Sum of All Fears," and proving himself a master in the political movies genre). The three American political consultants (one of whom, Gorton, recently led Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful gubernatorial campaign) are masters at showing how politics can be manipulated, or fine tuned. "Spinning Boris" shows the idealism and naivete of Russia's fledging democracy in 1996, primarily through the eyes of his daughter, Tatiana Dyachenko (played by the sensuously dignified Svetlana Efremova, known to political drama junkies through an appearance as a Russian journalist in "The West Wing"). The main difference between history and the plot of this film is that the script overplays the political naivete of Russians far too much. After all, it was Yeltsin's main opponent, the Communist Zyuganov, who said in 1995, "You should understand that a clever propaganda worker and a skilled politician will never talk in the same language with different audiences." If the Soviet era proved anything, it is that Russians are masters at telling an audience what it wants to hear. The movie does prove that Americans are good at reviving a stale product, in this case a Presidential candidate, Yeltsin, who offers a clear (and clearly superior) alternative to his opponents, men who reach back into the "ash heap of history" for their political platform."Spinning Boris" perpetuates some negative stereotypes about Russia. For instance: the President Hotel is not 5-Star quality; people did not walk around with machine guns in 1996; the SOVIET national anthem was not in use during the Yeltsin era; and why did the Americans sing the "Internationale," the song of world Communism, as they leave Moscow? There are, however, some wonderful street scenes throughout the entire movie, and the cinematography manages to capture some of the exoticness and beauty of Moscow, the world's most unique city (although most of the interior shots were filmed in Toronto).It is great to have a dramatization of what is for Americans an obscure political event, but one that had far-reaching repercussions. Movies are often the only way that a historic event is remembered; by their nature a political drama will be abridged and truncated (this is true of documentaries as well). Hopefully people watching this movie won't believe that today's Russia is as close to the brink of collapse as it is depicted here. Like "Primary Colors," the movie (and novel) which gave great understanding into the 1992 Clinton campaign, "Spinning Boris" gives humorous insight into the Russian political scene during its early democratic years.

henrikc Caught this one on New Years eve, and was fortunate to hang on to it. I wasn't sure if it was somehow documentary or not - and the beauty of it is that it doesn't matter :) This movie is credible from the first to the last minute. It's creepy because this could be entirely true - and we'll probably never know.The American spindoctors playing dirty? I don't think they are, they're not having anyone arrested or killed or anything, they're introducing western style campaigns to the Russians for the first time, and the playing field is wide open. It's not unlike how Tony Blair gets promoted, nothing unusual about this. Interesting to see how getting out to people to listen to their concerns plays a large role, as does digging up what the communists are up to - that's how it should be. The Americans happen to find themselves in a pivotal (to say the least) election, and they're hired (several times :) to the job. Suddenly these three find themselves spearheading the fight for democracy vs. regression, and they happen to do a good job with everything at stake. People happen to land in essential situations once in a while where a little effort can make a huge difference. I hope it turns out to be largely a true story. Anyone checked up that Time issue, BTW?