HBO's "Recount" revisits 2000 election fiasco

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - You might expect a movie about the controversial presidential vote in Florida in 2000 to have political wonk written all over it.

Sure enough, HBO's two-hour movie "Recount," which premieres Sunday, is replete with inside politics. But it also has well-written characters, first-class acting and confident directing, which produces a level of tension and suspense you wouldn't expect in a story about a widely reported recent event.

America has had lots of close elections, but in 2000, it had been 124 years since a candidate took the White House with fewer popular votes than his opponent.

That year, it all came down to Florida's electoral votes. The initial machine count favored Bush by a few thousand votes. Gore and his designee, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, were ready to call it quits. But new evidence cast doubt on the numbers. Cue the national debate about butterfly ballots and hanging chads.

Gore reversed course, turning the fight in Florida over to Ron Klain (Kevin Spacey), his former chief of staff; national field director Michael Whouley (Denis Leary); and expert lawyer David Boies (Ed Begley Jr.). Directing the better-financed Bush effort were former Secretary of State James Baker (Tom Wilkinson) and national counsel Benjamin Ginsberg (Bob Balaban).

Writer Danny Strong, formerly an actor in "Gilmore Girls" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," plays it straight down the middle. Here are the strategies of both camps and the dueling personalities of their leaders, particularly scrappy Baker. Here, too, are the exaggerated histrionics of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Over the top? Absolutely, but numerous accounts attest to her being every bit the dingbat Laura Dern makes her out to be.

With a presidential race looming, the timing for "Recount" couldn't be better. Meanwhile, expect to see Spacey and Wilkinson in the hunt for Emmy nominations for their work here.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter