Recount (2008)

That anyone managed to put together a movie covering the 2000 election debacle in Florida that's even watchable is pretty amazing. That this movie goes beyond "watchable" and achieves a level of entertainment that I really didn't expect is a triumph. Plays like a comedy thriller - tense, shocking, and fascinating throughout.

Make no mistake, though, it's thoroughly partisan. The Democrats are played as reasonable and above-board scrappers while the Republicans are come off as cynical dirty fighters and/or idiots. Still, it's great story-telling and also pretty educational about the dozens of little decisions involved in local level voting and all of the things that can go wrong. It's a minor miracle that mishaps like this don't happen more often.

A