It’s a busy busy election day, what with the new “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Smallville, “24,” “Life With Bonnie,” “Frasier,” “Real World,” “Fear Factor” and the thing and the other.
At 10 p.m., most channels (at least here in Los Angeles) are going with election coverage. So at 9:30, before “24” and “Smallville” finish up, Herc’s switching over to HBO’s “Journeys With George,” a documentary he’s been hearing about and wanting to see forever.
TV Guide says:
TV Guide says:
This lighthearted 2002 documentary chronicles George W. Bush's road to the presidency. Written and directed by then-NBC producer Alexandra Pelosi, the film captures long days and even longer nights on the campaign trail. Footage of speeches, rallies and primary whistle-stops is intercut with playful chats between Bush and Pelosi, who is the daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) and an unabashed liberal. Pelosi also turns the camera on her fellow journalists, who offer tongue-in-cheek ruminations on spending 18 months cooped up in buses, planes and hotels. The film, which is not rated, concludes with Bush's inauguration as the 43rd President of the United States.
Entertainment Weekly gives it an “A” and says:
Alexandra Pelosi's almost disturbingly intimate video diary of George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign catches the candidate off guard as he cracks cornball jokes, washes down Cheetos with non-alcoholic beer, and does a ''YMCA''-like victory dance. Whether such frat-house antics are appropriate for a future Prez may be a matter of debate, but there's no denying that Dubya makes a charming traveling companion, as does Pelosi.
Variety says:
Alexandra Pelosi's casually astonishing "Journeys With George" is that rare breed of documentary that could forever alter public perceptions of its high-profile subject. It's difficult to predict what future historians will make of Pelosi's mini-DV "home movie" (her own description) about George W. Bush's eventful 2000 campaign for the U.S. presidency. But it's even more difficult to see how any future biographer -- or, more important, any contemporary pundit -- will be able to write anything truly informed about the 43rd chief of state without taking a close look at Pelosi's revealing portrait.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
[Bush] projected himself as loose and amused by the young reporter and even used the camcorder back on her. But we can tell that Bush, constantly aware of himself in the pursuit of some big beans, could be annoyed. "Stop filming me," he once demanded. "You're like a head cold!" …Bush got some shots back at her by teasing about her relationship with one Trent, a Newsweek reporter in the press troupe. Did he see her holding his hand? Were they discussing news? (Well, there were some sparks. Pelosi acknowledges in her narration that she was considering Trent, then found that he already had a girlfriend.) … In the tradition of the press corps, the journey was full of some extra-crispy cynicism. The main loyalists upholding this tradition were R.G. from the Houston Chronicle, Wayne from the Dallas Morning News and Richard from the Financial Times.
Ain’t It Cool News says:
Where Pelosi's film really succeeds is shining a light on the political use of the media. All the while that Bush is running for the office of President of the United States, the only info on the campaign comes from this corps of reporters who depend on the man for their livelihood. As Bush tells Pelosi, it's in her best interest to vote for him. Other reporters express deep concerns that Bush may lose the election simply because their job would then be over. At one point Pelosi asks Bush about his support for the death penalty, a good thoughtful question any candidate should be answering while running for the office of President. Bush gets miffed and in the ensuing days gives Pelosi the cold shoulder. She quickly learns that in order to stay and maintain her access to Bush, she must play by his rules. … It makes one shudder a bit to realize that for the most part, all we know about some of our political leaders is only what they tell us.
9:30 p.m. Tuesday. HBO.
(If you can’t drag yourself away from “24” and “Smallville,” HBO repeats “Journeys With George” Saturday 2:30 p.m. when you know nothing better will be on.)
