Strong and Moving!

One of my all time favorites.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Whether you like Obama or not, this film is an excellent documentary following a successful campaign. Axelrod and Gibbs played a crucial role in Obama's election, and this film highlights the brilliant ideas they came up with along the way. The movie doesn't play favorites, and doesn't appear biased against McCain and towards Obama, it is simply a film showing how hard it is and the path this President took to achieve his goals and aspirations. I would recommend this film for anyone interested in the behind the scenes work behind Obama's campaign. As far as history goes, Obama's election is a milestone, whether you like it or not. That being said, his steps to the highest office are wonderfully culminated in this documentary.

Regardless of your political views, this documentary is awesome. Being a moderate in today's politics seems eerie. It seems as if you have to be part of the "fringe" or you don't "fit in". Anyway, The film takes you on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs of the campaign (mostly up).I wasn't a particular fan of the President but still voted for him because he seemed to convey the hope that we can come together after the previous disastrous administration. Very little of this mans charisma comes through in the film though,which was a disappointment.Overall the film is entertaining for anyone interested in politics or the President himself. He could be one of our greatest if given the chance and the hard right will work with him.I would have rated this film higher,albeit not enough about the Presidents essence and demeanor.

This documentary was thought provoking and had great insight into a process most of us only get to see from the outside.I loved seeing the emotional aspect of a campaign, most of the time you only see the "campaign face" of the people who are running and the staff behind them. I thought it was great to see the interaction of Obama's family, including his sisters. This movie showed how hard they worked and the impact it leaves on their whole lives; sleep deprivation, long hard hours for years, families that get put on hold, and relationships that are formed. Seeing the road to victory behind the scenes was great and seeing Obama's candid reactions to wins, losses, family, and various topics brought that human quality to him.I wish they could have shown more, though as you will see in the movie, if you watch the extras, they had a very hard time getting access throughout the years of filming, so what they did wind up with was a bunch of amazing clips that were cut short and left you wanting to see more. I understand that it was about Obama's election, but it would have helped (especially future generations) to see how other candidates won and lost, if only a few explanations here and there, not a main focus. Since I followed this election enthusiastically I can see the ups and downs in my mind, but after a few years and other generations come, people will be wondering; What the heck happened? How did he defeat McCain? In a way I wish we could have seen a little more negativity instead of just people being nice, everyone knows there is infighting and way more drama then just tears in a campaign. I felt that was a crucial missing part and left out big gaps.Overall this was a great documentary, especially since you get to see it from before he even put his name in the hat to run. They saw something in this man and early on (even earlier then they got to film and got approval) and followed this historic election all the way to the White House. Watch the special features on the DVD, they are Great too, even the commentary added that you can listen to the two women explain throughout the movie how everything came together and went down. Extra scenes help explain a lot and were great as well. I was always an Obama supporter and this just reinforced my views. Seeing any! behind the scenes footage is a great treat and well fought for and sought after.

Like most HBO documentaries it is well structured, paced perfectly and visually appealing. I like documentaries anyway and I realize they all have a bias or an agenda and this is no different. Clearly the film puts Obama's amazing campaign in the best possible light. Good news is shown in real time with reactions from the candidate himself while bad news (Ayers, Wright, previous races and experience, etc) is shown in retrospect or downplayed. What makes the film good is also its Achilles Heel. Following the candidate from just before he decides to run, we see the people around Obama more than the candidate himself and get a glimpse of the times in which his campaign and subsequent election take place. Both effectively place the campaign in context. People were showing up in record numbers and hadn't been this excited about a candidate probably since JFK. The film effectively captures the magic (and hysteria) that infected Democrats and influenced enough independents.I am no fan of the man as president, so I also have a post-disposition (as opposed to a predisposition), so it was hard to warm up to the man to begin with. But the doc doesn't reveal much more about him than we already know. He's calm, cool, collected, has a nice and attractive family, and speaks well...exactly how he's described today. By concentrating on his advisors and fans we get insight into the effect his election had on people but not no particular insight on how he deals with his staff, what he really cares about, or, with little exception, how he acts under adversity. One point that stands out is his surprising defeat in NH which he maintains (how long afterward we don't know)was a good thing. Ever the spin master, we see him only as the consummate politician without much of a hint of how much the setback bothered him as a person.Perhaps, after his administration is walking out the door of its last term, the makers will give us more of a taste of who the "real" Barack Obama is with the extra footage in a second installment. For now we will settle for a little of "behind the scenes" of the most electric campaign of the last 30 years.