Our Brand is Crisis movie quotes fictionalize the 2002 Bolivian presidential election in a comedy-drama feature film. Based on a 2005 documentary with the same name, the story was adapted into a screenplay by Peter Straughan. David Gordon Green directed Our Brand is Crisis, which opened in theaters in the United States on October 30, 2015.
In Our Brand is Crisis, retired political mastermind "Calamity" Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is asked by Nell (Ann Dowd) and Ben (Anthony Mackie) to come to work for a political consulting firm representing Bolivian presidential candidate Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida). While she agrees, this all is an uphill battle as Castillo is trailing by several dozen points.
So while Jane tries to change Castillo's image to one that the common voter can relate to, she is also working to take down her arch rival, Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), who just happens to be working for Castillo's opponent. But to win this election, Jane must find a way to relate to those common folk of Bolivia herself and fight for their futures, rather than fighting a war against her rival Candy.
Our Brand is Crisis was just one of several October 2015 films showing at the same time including Burnt, The Last Witch Hunter, Suffragette, and Bridge of Spies.
Our Brand Is Crisis Movie Quotes,
Three or Four Times
Nell: The opposition has hired their own American, Pat Candy.
...
Ben: How many times have you gone against Candy?
Jane: Three or four times
Ben: How many times has he beat you?
Jane: Uh, three or four times
Jane discusses her history with rival political consultant Pat Candy, including the three or four times she has lost to him. Going against him again is her shot at redemption, well, or a fourth or fifth loss.
Another Shot at the Title
Nell: You're a fighter, Jane, and I'm giving you another shot at the title.
...
Ben: It's a presidential campaign in South America. A fragile democracy, an economy in real trouble, our candidate is considered arrogant and out of touch with people's lives.
Jane: How far are you behind?
Ben: 28 points
Nell and Ben try to sell Jane on taking on the campaign of a South American presidential candidate. They need a miracle and Jane yearns for another shot to take down her rival. All on all, this is a perfect match.
We're Going to Have to Take Risks
Jane: If you want to win, we're going to have to take risks. You're my tracker. Every event that Riviera attends, every speech, you tape it. If security beats you up, you are doing your job right. Get that beating on tape. Wake up! This is war! There's only one wrong in this, only one and that is losing. [whispering to LeBlanc] Maybe check and see if anyone understood that.
LeBlanc: [in Spanish] Raise your hand if you speak English.
Jane: Gracias!
Giving her volunteer staff a pep talk, Jane explains how they need to be risk-takers if they are going to win. Equally as risky is explaining this all in English to a room of folks who don't speak the language.
What Happened to Your Hair?
Pat: There she is, Jane Bodine
Jane: Pat
Pat: So what are you doing here? I thought you retired or gave up or something.
Jane: Nope, not retired. What happened to your hair?
Pat: I see you've still got a great sense of humor.
Jane runs into the opposition's political strategist, her old rival Pat Candy. It doesn't take long before they are throwing insults at one another, and they're getting personal fast too.
This is a Crisis
Eddie: People will get hurt. What are you going to do?
...
Jane: We are trying to save people's lives! These are the stakes and I'm not going to stand by and watch as this nation falls apart. This is no longer an election. This is a crisis.
As Jane grows close to one of her volunteers, she sees first hand how the fate of this election will impact the area residents. Eddie begs her to help him and others in the country and she does not decline.
If You Should Feel Emotion
Jane: If you should feel emotion, could you just turn towards the camera?
...
Nell: Whoa, whoa, look at him.
Ben: This is it.
Jane: Yes! Yes!
Knowing her candidate is seen as out of touch with the normal South American, Jane must find a way for voter to connect with Castillo on an emotional level. Having him cry on national television is just the way to accomplish that.
We're Talking About People's Lives
Jane: If I lose to Candy now, I swear to god
Ben: This actually kind of matters, Jane. This country could go under. We're talking about people's lives.
While she definitely wants to win the election, Jane is often focused on beating her rival Pat Candy not Castillo's opponent. As Ben reminds her of, this is about more than a few people, this is about the future of a country and everyone in it.
If You Fight with Monsters for Too Long
Pat: You like to pretend you're not one of us. If you fight with monsters for too long, you become a monster.
Pat points out that Jane often pretends that she is one of the good guys and has not turned into a political monster like others in her position. Whether this has really happened, or is something Pat is just saying to intimidate her, is still up for debate.
This Animal Will Lead Us to Prosperity
Buckley: We are going to shoot the commercial, por favor.
Castillo: Llamas, this animal will lead us toward prosperity.
Jane: It's like he killed himself rather than be in one of our commercials.
A commercial shoot with a llama goes horribly wrong when instead of appearing in the shoot, the llama seems to commit suicide. Leading them (or himself) to prosperity this animal did not.