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Movies / On DVD / Bush's Brain
Bush's Brain

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Bush's Brain (2004)

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Reviews Counted:48

Fresh:30

Rotten:18

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: Most of the evidence is more circumstantial than conclusive, but it's still a disturbing portrait of misuse of political power.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Aug 27, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: Not to be mistaken for an exploration of the 43rd US President's gray matter, BUSH'S BRAIN takes a look at the shadowy figure of the man behind George. W. Bush's rise to the Oval Office. Karl Rove... Not to be mistaken for an exploration of the 43rd US President's gray matter, BUSH'S BRAIN takes a look at the shadowy figure of the man behind George. W. Bush's rise to the Oval Office. Karl Rove may be an unfamiliar name to many, but to the Bush family he is an invaluable political ally who has worked in a carefully disguised capacity for many years. Rove ghosted his way through Bush Sr.'s presidency with such silent ease that a mention of his name would have been met with indifferent shrugs and feverish head scratching. His attempt to pull off the same trick twice when Bush Jr. was elected almost came to fruition, until the publication of James Moore and Wayne Slater's startling exposé of Rove in their 2003 book, also titled BUSH'S BRAIN. Filmmakers Michael Shoob and Joseph Mealey quickly picked up the baton from Moore and Slater, producing this damning filmic indictment of Rove and the Bush presidency. From political cover-ups, to an uncanny ability to manipulate facts and figures, the directors leave no stone unturned as they dig up the dirt on the little-known political aide. A scary, thoughtful film, BUSH'S BRAIN paints a worrying picture of Bush Jr.'s presidency, positing the believable theory that all has not been as it seems behind the walls of the White House. [More]

Starring: George W. Bush, Karl Rove

Starring: George W. Bush, Karl Rove

Director: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob

Director: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob
Producer: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 12, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Bush's Brain

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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This no-frills documentary has a very specific theme: Karl Rove drives Bush. And He's willing to break rules and people in order to keep Bush in power.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
09/08/04
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

If this is all Rove’s enemies could muster, he’s got nothing to fear.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/21/04
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

Littered with sloppy accusations and one-sided arguments, Bush's Brain, like so many political documentaries of late, is transparently manipulative.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/16/04
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This film should truly frighten partisans on both sides of the aisle.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/21/04
Merle Bertrand
Merle Bertrand
Film Threat

This unapologetically partisan documentary is designed to inflame Bush opponents, and it ought to succeed like a bucket of gasoline tossed on a bonfire.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/23/04
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Enlightening and frightening.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/17/04
Jonathan Curiel
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It succeeds in generating discussion, but leaves you with a distasteful feeling. If you ignore the content and look merely at the quality of the film, it's lacking in focus.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
08/30/04
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

It's safe to say that outrage over Rove's behavior will depend on party affiliation, but even the most partisan should find extreme behaviors sickening.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/23/04
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Like Brothers in Arms, the shamelessly softball Kerry doc, Bush’s Brain smacks of opportunism, rescued at the last minute from direct-to-video fate.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
09/07/04
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
FilmStew.com

The film poses an interesting question ... but few of the Texas witnesses to Rove's reign and Beltway insiders interviewed here offer much of an answer.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
08/27/04
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Another week, another film to add to an already sizeable pile of anti-Bush polemics.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
08/21/04
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Politics as usual, until that devastating conclusion with the dead Marine's family.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/24/04
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

Pushing creepiness into horror -- and giving the movie its sting -- are the recollections and insights of folks who've tracked the handiwork of Rove, this summer's scariest movie monster, for more than 30 years.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
09/02/04
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
L.A. Weekly

It's a competent examination of an important subject, but in a year that has been filled with stunning political documentaries with high production values, it suffers from an overreliance on talking heads.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
08/20/04
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Disorganized, overly reliant on reporter commentary and full of extraneous side trips.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/23/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Some believe that the evil genius behind our unelected maximum leader is Dick Cheney. The filmmakers argue that it's 'co-president' Rove (installed, we learn, in Hillary Clinton's old office).

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/24/04
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This politically damning profile chronicles the rise to power of Karl Rove, the brilliant, nerdy chief aide to President Bush.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/26/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mealey and Shoob's film is a little too 'Inside Baseball' as it takes a deep dive into arcane Texas politics as discussed by a series of talking heads. Yet what they say -- and much of it is hard to refute -- is devastating stuff.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/19/04
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

They succeed in presenting a compelling series of dots, to use the current parlance, but they don't succeed in connecting them.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/10/04
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Directors Joseph Mealey and Michael Paradies Shoob make a persuasive though not incontestable case that Rove directly sabotaged the 1986 Texas governor's race.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/24/04
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times
 
 
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