Blue State DVD Review-By Kelsey Zukowski

Blue State
Starring: Breckin Meyer, Anna Paquin, Adriana O’Neil
Written & Directed By: Marshall Lewy
Released: 2008
Grade: B+

It seems that most Americans are against President Bush. Yet he is serving his second term now. In a democratic nation being re-elected after still being at a war that many don‘t agree with, there must have been a substantial amount of people who voted for him. This thought baffles our main character’s mind in Blue State, not able to comprehend how anyone could see any good in this man. Blue State goes in to the anger of this very disgruntled anti-Bush citizen. This is used as a way to explore political voice, getting on with your life, and facing your problems head on in this mellow yet funny dramatic tale of two young people running from their country just after the 2004 presidential election.

John (Meyer) is fully committed to helping John Kerry win his presidency. He even leaves work, to try to persuade every Bush supporter that he can, even though this begins to seem like a losing battle. John also has a blog that he is very dedicated to about democratic politics. It really seems that more than being pro-Kerry though, John is more concentrated on being anti-Bush. After Bush wins the election, John is completely devastated and just wants to shut down. It turns out that his job is not there for him anymore. Also, he was on a break with his girlfriend during the campaign so he could focus on it completely. John is ready to get back with her now, but she has moved on with someone else. During the campaign, John made a drunken promise that he would move to Canada if Bush won. He had no intentions of actually doing this, but with Kerry’s loss his friends get on his case about this. Soon , he is contacted by Gloria (O’Neil), a representative from “Marry a Canadian“. She is looking to help John find someone to marry in order to become a Canadian citizen.

At first John isn’t sure about this, but he decides to just go for it and move to Canada. First though, he begins a search for a traveling companion. This is when he finds Chloe (Paquin). John decides on her to come with him on the trip. On their way, John ends up stopping at his parent’s house in Washington state. Political views and family feuds erupt causing anger, frustration, and even secret mourning through denial. Here Chloe finds out that John has a brother who is in Iraq fighting in the army. She argues with John about how liberal and verbal about he is. It turns out she has a secret of her own that comes out right before they reach the border. It turns out that she spent time in the service in Iraq as well. She is supposed to go back tomorrow and is suddenly hesitating migrating to Canada. John convinces her, but after they get to Winnipeg things aren’t quite the same. Chloe is completely thrown off by Gloria and the “Marry a Canadian” atmosphere. She questions why anyone would want to be a part of it. Gloria who is close to her 50’s, begins attempting to seduce John. She ends up getting him to agree to getting a marriage license with him, although he clearly has no interest in her. The only one he is interested in is Chloe. There have shared a lot over the course of their trip and he begins to feel very close to her. Bringing her in to this situation, just screwed up the interest that she did have in him. The inevitable bond is clearly there between them, even if responsibility and desperation for finding strength might challenge this further.

The acting was wonderful in Blue State. Breckin Meyer really brings the obsession out of John and the problem that it created. Yet he still does a good job of communicating his troubles and frustration. We know where he is coming from and there is even a certain amount of admiration for him, given his passion and his eagerness to make a change for a better, more truly democratic country. However, we know he takes it too far. This ends up being more self-destructive than harmful to anyone else. He still seems to be a fairly laid back, genuinely caring guy. He is just a lost and confused one. Anna Paquin did extremely well. It is funny that her character was really there experiencing the things that John talked so negatively about. She never seems very cynical though about this. About the only thing she does look upon negatively is John’s extreme political rants and how he treats the circumstances that he has brought both of them in to. At first, she shows a certain amount of mystery. It is obvious that she is hiding things, but it is suspected to be something along the lines of greed. She is really just scared, trying to find a way out of a morbid life. It is funny that Chloe seems so estranged and out of place in Winnipeg, when it is actually Paquin’s home town. This just shows her acting abilities to make this a foreign environment to her.

One of the effective scenes of the film is when John and Chloe visit John’s parents. At every other point, John almost automatically spouts out his hate for Bush and all of his other political views. However, once his dad comes in the room he really holds back. His father just about attacks him, making every attempt to make his son feel completely worthless and shameful before even saying hello. The family is shown to be completely dysfunctional. The mother scolds John for provoking his father. It becomes even more clear with information we later find out that John’s parent’s use this to support their denial of their son serving in the army. They have to believe in Bush, that he is doing the right thing by having the troops in Iraq. It is the only comfort that they have left. If they can’t believe this, then they are forced to see that their son is surrounded by war and tragedy for no reason, which is really too much for them to handle.

I mentioned John’s obsession against Bush. Between Chloe and him we are really able to see the line between this obsession and political thought. Chloe is more moderate even though she agrees with John for the most part. She believes that the U.S. is involved in an unnecessary war. Chloe also thinks that Bush is human and makes mistakes like anyone else. Really the major difference between Chloe, John, and their approaches is that although Chloe has thoughts and stances on politics she doesn’t let them embody her completely to take over her. John learns that there aren’t too many bad individuals despite all of those who voted for Bush, keeping him in office. When they get to Canada, many of the Canadians show a strong disliking for Americans based on stereotypes of them being fat, stupid, and selfish. Even when the government in particular is attacked, John has a resistance to take this lying done. Through this he is able to acknowledge that even though the U.S. is not a perfect nation, it does have many good intentions, non-deserving of hate. In the end, the U.S. is still John’s country and home. He realizes that he should be there, rather than turning his back on it.

Blue State is about much more than politics. At its’ core it is about trying to find yourself. Both of our main characters end up where they are because they feel lost. The reason why Chloe was in the armed services in the first place was because she couldn’t find any other way to make something of her life. She tried college and it didn’t work out. Desperate for some security rather than struggling from one low-paying job to another she turned to the army, told that being a girl she would never have to face combat. This detail represents deception and even some desperation to say whatever to recruit people. Obviously, the experiences that were forced upon Chloe just made her even more eager to find her place in the world. John shows confusion as well. His brother being a victim in the lingering war seems to be a part of it, even though this is one part of his views he attempts to close up. Facing your problems is a big part of this lonely search for oneself. Chloe knows that even if she regrets it, she made an agreement to serve her country. It is her responsibility to take up her part of this deal. If she waits any longer, she might never be able to go back to the United States, which is her home. Chloe also fears that all she would be doing if she stayed was hiding out, even more restricted from truly living than when she was in the army. It takes Chloe’s strength to encourage John to face his troubles rather than just running away from them. It becomes evident that he is not making any protest by coming to Canada, it just shows his fear and weakness. To be honest, if it was a drafting situation, I could see how leaving the country would be making a statement, saying that you didn’t believe in the war and you didn’t want to be a part of violence or killing. That is still debatable though, but really doesn’t apply to John. Him being in Canada changes nothing and his life hasn’t been threatened for the war effort even if he does feel pain and sorrow for those who are in this situation.