"Game Change" (Sat., 9 p.m. EST on HBO) offered a dramatized look at Sarah Palin's role in the 2008 presidential campaign. The story followed her from the moment she was picked from obscurity to try and jolt John McCain's campaign through to her emergence as a true superstar on the political stage.
In the intervening time, though, were many instances where advisors to the McCain campaign were stunned at her lack of knowledge regarding foreign policy, and even domestic concerns. The film, based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's book of the same name, alleges that Palin was fed scripts to memorize during debates after a series of disastrous media interviews, like her infamous sit-down with Katie Couric.
After success in the vice presidential debate put Republican voters firmly behind her, the film shows Palin emerging from her cocoon of depression and morphing into a strong presence on the campaign trail. Ultimately, though, it looked as if the power went to her head.. She started lying about things in her past she wanted buried, and even took to treating it as if this was her campaign, and McCain was riding on her coattails.
This continued to the bitter end, where Palin was shown fighting to give a vice presidential concession speech on the night of the election, after Barack Obama was declared the winner, even though it had never been done before.
It wasn't a flattering portrayal of the former Alaskan governor, though it was at times a sympathetic portrait. McCain has come out in defense of Palin, denouncing both the book the movie was based on and the movie. Neither he nor Palin reportedly have any intention of seeing the film.
"Game Change" was broadcast Saturday at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.
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