Documentary Pick: Mitt (2014)
Mitt Romney was the candidate no one wanted, but everyone agreed that he would be the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election. Romney wasn’t the most charismatic, he wasn’t that convincing, and in a time of deep economic recession, no one liked the idea of a rich white guy calling the shots. He was a Mormon, the son of a rich business executive and governor, and he himself had made millions – some would say – buying up companies, firing everyone and selling them for parts. It’s not hard to paint Mitt Romney as unlikeable, but that’s part of the reason that Mitt is such a surprise.
Director Greg Whiteley received unprecedented access to Romney, his family, and the Romney 2012 presidential campaign, capturing the behind the scenes drama of running for America’s highest office. Despite being a political film, Mitt skewers the divisiveness of both politics in general and the 2012 election specifically, painting a portrait of a well-meaning, family-oriented man running, and struggling, with his belief that he’s the man to lead the free world. Through Whiteley’s camera, we see Romney being conciliatory, to have occasional fits of doubt, and be an open collaborator that leans on his family for advice and support as he goes through a trying presidential bid.
The problem with that bid was always distance, and there was a distance between Romney and the voters that those who weren’t already “dyed in the wool” Republicans couldn’t cross. Apparently, Whiteley’s access came with the caveat that the movie couldn’t be screened until after the election, or after the Romney presidency, and the shame is that the film does more to humanize the man than at any point during the year and a half campaign. The film isn’t very cinematic, and by its nature it has a fairly intimate point of view, but that’s perfectly suited to be screened via Netflix, and not necessarily in a movie theater.
Like with the Academy Award-nominated The Square, Netflix shows it has shrewd taste in acquiring documentaries, and Mitt parlays its subject’s name recognition to deliver something that genuinely surprises. In other words, if you think you know Mitt, think again.