At a large debate with all the candidates, Jane is found behind the stage backdrop during the debate. But the main mystery to me was the message of this film. An SUV carrying the Castillo advisors sees him and stop to give him a ride home, insisted upon by Jane. The interviewer says she's been known by many names, most notably "Calamity Jane". The website's critical consensus reads, "Our Brand Is Crisis offers sporadic amusement and benefits from a talented cast, but ultimately lacks enough of a bite to add much of interest to the political satire genre. When shes recruited for a chance to face off in Bolivia against her longtime and similarly depraved rival, Pat Candyportrayed convincingly enough as a stock Billy Bob Thornton character by Billy Bob Thorntonshe signs up. Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC Renew22 grouping believes Eastern Cape . January 14, 2016. Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. ***END SPOILER***. Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. Greens last three picturesPrince Avalanche, Joe, and Manglehornfelt like personal indie films, and Our Brand Is Crisis seems like an attempt to reach back into the mainstream with a mix of comedy and pathos, and yet it also comes off like a journeyman feature. There are very occasional crude sexual references. [24], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 147 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. On a campaign bus heading toward a remote Bolivia location on a small dirt road, they discover Riveras bus is directly ahead of them. David Gordon Greens uneven Wag the Dog-style satirical political romp takes both its title and theme from Rachel Boyntons 2005 documentary about the role played by the gun-for-hire American consultants in the 2002 Bolivian elections. And in the real Bolivian election of 02, there was no rivalry between warring American spin doctors working for different candidates, because Goni was the only candidate who got that kind of help, in clear preference to his populist opponents on both the right and left. Our Brand Is Crisis is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2005 documentary film of the same name by Rachel Boynton. Goni fled the country five days later, and now lives in exile in the U.S., which has refused to extradite him to Bolivia to face trial for extrajudicial killings and other crimes against humanity. Morales government has dramatically reduced poverty and inequality, and presided over one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, right through the crash of 2008. Well, that would be you and me both before and after. Bush strategist Lee Atwater, who by his own reported deathbed admission was an unholy monster, and to this day keeps afloat the brand of George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. That is, of course, when you can get her out of 'retirement' and give her a good reason to . Jane wakes up in her hotel room. Thats why Hollywood had to invent a character with such powers: the knowing, salty political consultant. During the debate, Nell observes how charming Rivera is, while the team watches stage left. Our Brand Is Crisis still could have been an excellent tale, but told through a soft prism of second chances and good intentions, we can't buy what Green is selling. Cut back to the interview that opened the film. Either the character repents, and you have a cornball ending, or the character doesnt, and you have a soapy endorsement of sociopathy. There's only one wrong in this, only one, and that is losing!". Jane is elated and tells the communication team to talk to the press and inform them Rivera just used a quote from Joseph Goebbels, the head Nazi propaganda minister. This is a competent film that shows how foxy political campaigns can be. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Despite Sandra Bullocks strong lead performance, David Gordon Greens film cant push a hopeful tone past its depressing reality. She describes the Daisy advertisement, which ran exactly once, that turned the election for Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. Kristen Bell to Befriend an Unorthodox Rabbi. When Jane leaves the meeting with LeBlanc, she instead instructs her to dig up dirt on Castillo, their own candidate. A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate. Jane wants to overtake it. Candy is outside the hotel in his chauffeur-driven SUV and offers Jane, Ben, and Nell a ride to the airport. Rivera then repeats the quote Jane told Candy. Although the movie has flashes where everything comes together and we can revel in dark victories, more often than not, star Sandra Bullock is left to carry the crushing emotional and thematic weight of a confused picture that acknowledges that politics is a cheap joke, and then expects us all to laugh. Nevertheless, his brothers are much more skeptical about Castillo. Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant strategist, pulse reader and marketing mind. She gives him a bottle of Paul Newman Steak Sauce. Sometimes its melodramaticthink the sinister Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Ides of March, or most notably, Kevin Spaceys snaky Frank Underwood, the master strategist and politician bundled into one on House of Cards. She can quote appropriate nuggets of wisdom from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and from the world's leaders and thinkers. The protagonist, Jane Bodine a.k.a. He tells a story about a campaign run by Adlai Stevenson in which Stevenson is told everything thinking person would vote for him, to which Stevenson replies that is not enough. Our Brand is Crisis is more than just the scenario Jane (Sandra Bullock) is selling to the Bolivian public in hopes of bringing her candidate Castillo from a blip on the radar to leading the. Back on the bus, Castillo explain to Eddie that an effective leader is a father to the people, and that sometimes a father must be strict. Our Brand Is Crisis Review: Champions of Cynicism | TIFF 2015. So those questions remain in the dim and dusty background, behind the quasi-hilarious dirty tricks, the long nights of booze, the almost-condescending interactions with indigenous Bolivians and the rivalrous relationship tinged with both tragedy and Eros between Jane and Thorntons Mephistophelean (and distinctly Carville-like) Pat Candy. As president in the mid-90s, he had pursued a controversial two-level strategy, extending constitutional rights and policy reforms aimed at Bolivias large indigenous population while also embarking on a widespread campaign of privatization that sold off state-owned industries and natural resources to foreign capital. LeBlanc discovers Rivera has purchased 27 vehicles with taxpayer money at the cost of about 35-40 vehicles. Honestly, I didnt know what to expect, on a number of levels. Now, the film is so heavily fictionalized that it's much more an emotive or thematic . Eventually Eddie sees her and they make eye contact. Candy can be seen watching the action in the background. At first Jane is defensive, claiming that she was just doing her job, but soon her heart is softened as she realizes the mess she helped to make. Ben jumps out and yells, get in the car, what are you doing? Mimicking the behavior in the actresss previous film, Minions, Jane is shown mooning a bus. What are you going to do? and then leaves. Loosely based on true events, Our Brand Is Crisis, follows Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) and her campaign team when they are hired to help Pedro Castillo win a presidential election in Bolivia. They make a sling shot out of clothes and shoot something that splatters against Candys window across the foyer. She finally just decided to get off the carousel. [29], "Box-Office Preview: Halloween Forecast Bleak for 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto", "Sandra Bullock and David Gordon Green Team on 'Our Brand is Crisis', "Scoot McNairy Joins Sandra Bullock in 'Our Brand is Crisis', "Billy Bob Thornton in Talks to Join Sandra Bullock in 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "Anthony Mackie Joins Sandra Bullock in 'Our Brand is Crisis', "Joaquim de Almeida, Zoe Kazan Join Sandra Bullock in 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "Participant Boards David Gordon Green's 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "The real story of "Our Brand Is Crisis" is how we screwed up Bolivia: Behind the bland Sandra Bullock movie lies another strange-but-true tale of botched American meddling", "Sandra Bullock in Talks to Star in George Clooney-Produced 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "George Clooney's 'Our Brand Is Crisis' sets Metairie casting call", "Louisiana Film TV Production Jobs Hotline September 23, 2014", "Political drama starring A-listers films in Norco", "Reynaldo Pacheco Is The Beating Heart In 'Our Brand Is Crisis', "Sandra Bullock's 'Crisis' Gets Awards Season Release Date", "Our Brand Is Crisis (2015) - Box Office Mojo", "Bradley Cooper, 'The Martian' To Scare Away Sandra Bullock & 'Scouts' At Halloween B.O. What makes this fictionalized Our Brand Is Crisis worth noticing to the extent it is, which isnt much is that the filmmakers probably believe they are delivering roughly the same message as Boyntons documentary did, but in fact the most important aspects of this striking story has been scrubbed away or laundered into Hollywood-style pseudo-psychological neutrality. ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. A screenshot shows Castillo at 8% with Rivera leading with 36%. She tells Nell she needs to pull some string with her contacts at the Bolivian State Department, in order to take votes from Castillo, and give them to Volasco (another candidate). [2/4], Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, would be perfect humanist, socialist, anti-capitalist propaganda except its a bit disjointed Abhorrent at least 61 obscenities rear female nudity when woman on bus moons other bus, crass, grimy and not sure of its own message burdens itself with foul language and sexual allusions, spoiling some pretty great performances from Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton. Mick LaSalle. She quotes, It may be alright to have a power that is based on guns. Meanwhile, Thornton employs his well-honed smiling/sneering shtick to nicely nasty effect. By the way, the bus driver is paid to drive like a complete moron to do it. Calamity Jane Bodine (Bullock) was a vaunted political strategist, but the emotional toll of the campaigns coupled with substance abuse problems forced her into early retirement where she may not be happy, but shes grateful that shes calm. He overhears him making plans to visit the IMF in New York, and is crestfallen. Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. Jane insists to the campaign team that this was set up by Candy. Oct. 29, 2015. This movie offers us the tale of the fall and redemption of an unscrupulous white lady -- who we know cannot really be unscrupulous since shes Sandra Bullock. The next scene shows the state department giving an anti-cocaine speech, which will help Volasco. I need a majority. In a restaurant, Jane sits alone until Candy sits next to her. Its educational and leaves you with serious thoughts about political power. Politics takes to cynicism like shit to a cesspool. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Since 2013, the study of English and history has dropped by a third; the number of STEM degrees, meanwhile, is soaring. At another commercial set inside a warehouse, several llamas are there, and Castillo is set to compare the future of Bolivia with llamas, who work hard. The emotional investment Green wants to make in Jane feels misplaced, especially since he also wants to celebrate moments when she behaves abhorrently. Inspired by the 2005 documentary of the . Thanks for reading the spoiler. The corporations whined and complained, but ultimately decided that 18 percent was a lot better than nothing. The pottery business is explained forthwith, lest were worried about some Ghost influence. Castillo is frustrated and wants to hear what Jane has planned for the campaign. She is then seen in the middle of the protest, and sees Eddie. (R. 107 minutes.) Still offensive? document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad12539a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>'); You can send in your spoiler to other movies by going here. Policy doesnt even enter into the conversation; its more about scoring points by making your opponent look like a Nazi sympathizer simply by virtue of a doctored photograph. Later at her hotel room, she is still nauseous from the elevation. [16], On August 21, 2014, Bullock's casting was confirmed, playing a retired political consultant called 'Calamity' Jane Bodine, and David Gordon Green was set to direct the film. Among the many achievements of HBOs Veep is its discovery of a new, post-Carville political consultant character, one thats just as cuttingly entertaining but truer to reality. This was the lowest wide release opening of Bullock's career, beating 1996's Two If by Sea ($4.7 million). Covering Rammsteins Du Hast in Berlin. Mostly he is just a funny Southern person who served on a successful presidential campaign; the rest is projected onto him. [27] Peter Debruge from Variety thought that Jane Bodine, played by Bullock, "is easily one of the best female roles of the last 10 years,"[28] while Benjamn Lee from The Guardian wrote that "Bullock seems blissfully unaware of the films faults and delivers a performance that expertly plays on her strengths - her comic timing, wasted in lesser, plane-ready comedies, is on top form and she imbues her neurotic character with more than the thinly sketched quirks provided on the page; she commands a room when needed, perfects scenes of physical comedy and even turns a climax of forced sentiment into something poignant and believable"; he concluded that "while the film is patchy, Bullock's brand is confidently crisis-free". The premise doesn't really show up until the end of the movie. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Since The War Room, the omnipotent, omniscient celebrity political consultant has been portrayed again and again. Senator Pedro Castillo, President of Bolivia 15 years ago, is once again running for the country's top job. All of them, except Bodine, have already taken jobs as political consultants in other countries. Its great fun. They talk about the book and Mephistopheles, with whom Faust makes a wager for his soul. His name is too long with her so she just calls him Eddie. Smoke too much? Not all movies preach, for example, action movies are usually more about the entertainment of watching good triumph over evil. Principal photography began on September 29, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since 2006, Bolivia has been governed by Evo Morales, the indigenous leader whose protest movement led to Gonis downfall. Hollywood loves it some Ragin Cajun, because hes the closest real-life approximation to the magical political consultant of its dreams. Ben meets her in the hallway and she immediately says hes not a winner, and he cannot win. Jane says its just a carousel and she was going around and around. Directed by David Gordon Green. We get on Janes adrenaline kick when she wins, but the movie rarely questions the deeper ramifications of her actions. [21] It had a wide release in 2,202 theaters for 21 days. All rights reserved. It is only after Bodine arranges for the distribution of a flyer accusing Castillo of a long-ago affair (and blaming it on the opposition) does she finally get him to agree to smear his opponents. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and their dog Jack. Like before, it came from La Paz Grassroots, but this time it really did come from Candy. When Bullocks passionately advocating goes negative, or Thorntons smirkingly plays Mephistopheles to her from across their hotel balconytheyre close enough to speak to each other directly, but insist on staying on their cell phonesthe movie builds up an infectious energy. The rest of the movie is her telling the story of what happened after her resignation. Later Castillo is heard instructing interest rates to be raised to 15%. You never find out. Jane says There is only one wrong in this, and that is losing. But at the end, the team realizes how wrong they werein a shocking way. A montage shows the crisis message is working and support for Castillo is growing. Crisis management examples are easy to find these days: We've seen Uber lose 200,000 users in the wake of #DeleteUber and United lose $800 million in value in just a few hours. But if you can be wary of those things, I do recommend this film. There are also two middle finger displays. Heres my idea for a Hollywood ending: People are inspired to seek out Boyntons great documentary, which throws a spotlight on one of Americas least-known but most consequential exports. They plead with him that any negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) be preceded by a referendum so the people can decide. She showed how American marketing techniques never before used in that region steered a desperate country towards a rich, arrogant former president Gonzalo Snchez de Lozada (Goni), who proved catastrophically out of touch. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google It's a case study, if nothing else, of starting with a dubious idea and making it downright awful. Several candidates separate the two. Although she was once a wunderkind of the political strategy community, she lost her last four campaigns, the speculation that being the reason she dropped out of sight. Gonis second term as president barely lasted a year, after his plans to allow an international consortium to build a pipeline and ship Bolivian natural gas to North America at dirt-cheap prices sparked a massive popular uprising. What part should morality play in politics? That was almost certainly the final straw. It already has. The deception disgusts her. Jane meets with Castillo who says shes a liability. Bodines character loosely channels celebrity political consultant James Carville, one of the Americans who worked on the 2002 Bolivian campaign and a consistent fascination of Hollywood. "Our Brand Is Crisis" is both the title of and a line from a new political comedy about American consultants who take over a Bolivian presidential campaign. Our Brand is Crisis hits a lot of clunky notes and the end is unforgivably cornball, but its still one of the liveliest political black comedies Ive seen in a while. When it does, Jane moons the Rivera bus. She doesnt think the man should change to fit the narrative but instead the narrative should change to fit the man. In a Netflix comedy by Katharine McPhees stepdaughter. The film gives a fictionalized account of the involvement of American political campaign strategists Greenberg Carville Shrum (GCS) in the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. Loosely based on the 2005 documentary of the same name, Our Brand is Crisis offers a fictionalized take on the 2002 Bolivian Presidential election with a cast that includes Academy Award. 17-Down, Three Letters: Party for One artist Carly ___ Jepsen. There is something deeply disturbing about American political strategists helping an unpopular politician return back to presidency in a country as different as Bolivia. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. Back at Janes hotel, Ben calls and informs her there will be a protest downtown. To handle this scandal, Castillo is interviewed on TV and explains it was a visit to his son, who IS a member of the cult, and he had to wear the robe. She then asks who knows English and only a handful of people raise their hands, so LeBlanc must translate. That is now the title of the Bullock movie directed by indie-film veteran David Gordon Green and written by Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), which is also set during a Bolivian presidential campaign and stars Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Scoot McNairy, Ann Dowd and Zoe Kazan as Bullocks rivals or colleagues in the Machiavellian business of reinventing candidates and reshaping public opinion. [26] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Jane suggests that Castillo reveal everything that could be used against him, but he refuses. Bodine and her crew join Candy on the way to the airport. More fliers are discovered that claim (with pictures) Castillo is a member of a crazy white-robe wearing cult. [9] On October 10, Joaquim de Almeida and Zoe Kazan joined the cast, with Almeida playing Castillo, the former president of Bolivia, and Kazan playing a young woman who finds dirt on political candidates. He cant reconcile that her success also makes her a bad person. Jane says the llama cant stand the commercial so badly, he killed himself. During the final debate, Bodine cites a quote in a conversation with Candy (knowing that he'll give it to rival candidate Rivera for his speech) saying that "a great man" said it. Karen Kunawicz. Jane yells out the window to Candy that Rivera has dropped 6 points. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Scoot McNairy, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Ann Dowd and Joaquim de Almeida. We just want to dive into a pool without having to hold onto our bottoms. Its pretty powerful, actually. Their main tactic is to emphasize the many problems of the economy and present . When the gunfire stops, the camera moves in on a boy sitting on the steps of a building, his head partly covered by his coat as if hes grabbing a nap. As a result of this, Castillo agrees to start running a negative campaign. She insists Castillo express regret, but not to apologize. [4] It was theatrically released by Warner Bros. on October 30, 2015. Although Castillos populist opponent doesnt seem to have much integrity (the character does in the documentary), we still know that Castillo has less, that hes a dreadful man. For those who want more detail, I have written a paragraph below containing spoilers. Jane has accepted the offer and their plane lands in La Paz, Bolivia, which has an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. A young man working on the campaign, Eduardo (Reynaldo Pacheco) comes to the rescue of Castillo and ushers him away. But when youre reviewing a political drama, you have to be careful to pay close attention. She doesnt respond. Castillo says its in the past, and that his wife knows about it, but Jane claims the perception will be that hes an adulterer. Its only when the camera is on top of him that we see the pool of blood. Even worse, it turns out to be a humanist, socialist, anti-capitalist message about "the people" rising up to establish some sort of vague communist brotherhood centered . She really truly does.). Busy Phillips Is Not Like a Regular Mom, Shes a Cool Mom, Theres nothing wrong with Busy Phillips being cast as Mrs. George in the upcoming, In Search of Tom and Katies Bubba Painting, Maybe punting on the larger plot can be forgiven if we get a sweet. Sandra Bullock (who shares producer credits with, among others, George Clooney and Grant Heslov) is the reclusive political strategist Calamity Jane Bodine, who turned her back on her profession after one dirty trick too many. And yet in David Gordon Greens tale of political fixers, Our Brand Is Crisis, he wants to find hope. In its best moments, Our Brand Is Crisis is reminiscent of Wag the Dog; it knows how fucked politics is and acts accordingly. Instead, both end up outside of their hotel rooms so they can see each other. Our Brand is Crisis hits a lot of clunky notes and the end is unforgivably cornball, but it's still one of the liveliest political black comedies I've seen in a while. David Gordon Green keeps the perspectives shifting, getting lots of good angles on this three-ring circus. The news that Jane will be pitted against political consultant Pat Candy, with whom she has a past, is enough to get her away from the wheel. Our Brand is Crisis was one of these pleasant surprises. [3], The film opened on October 30, 2015, alongside Burnt and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Some said it was insightful. Bodine used to be the best in the game, but an unfortunate series of events during a campaign destroyed her reputation and confidence. Plot out uproarious long-shot tricks against his opponents that always seem to work out even better than hoped? Screenwriter Peter Straughans script originally featured a male protagonist, but Bullock makes the role her own, from vomiting into a wastepaper basket and mooning the opposition to shrewdly choreographing an on-air attack of tears for her candidate. I think you pull it, Joshua Jackson says to Lizzy Caplan sensually. [6] On September 15, Billy Bob Thornton joined the film,[7] and on September 18, Anthony Mackie joined the cast. But theres no real fun in determining the extent to which this movie is some sort of a clef expos. "- Castillo: This llama will lead us toward prosperity. Castillo had been coached by Jane that if he senses any emotion or tears, to look directly into the camera. On a bus trip to a mountainous countryside, protesters start throwing rocks at the bus. The deeply disappointed Eduardo visits Bodine in her hotel; Bodine replies that she is not responsible for Castillo's actions. On April 22, 2007, it was announced that George Clooney would produce a dramatization of the 2005 documentary Our Brand Is Crisis, along with Grant Heslov, and Warner Bros. would handle American distribution rights. Election day. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. I say, beat Candy because Jane doesnt really care that much about Castillo or Bolivia. She realizes that she was deceived by Castillo, just like she was attempting to deceive the people of Bolivia. It might be possible to make a good movie out of a cross between Mike Nichols Primary Colors and Costa-Gavras Z, but Our Brand Is Crisis, directed by David Gordon Green in a seeming attempt to do something along those lines, is not that movie. Then Jane figures out a hook: To make Castillo more attractive than the frontrunner (a young, engaged populist who represents hope and change), she has to sell the idea that the country doesnt need someone, well, likable. Beyond needing to adjust to her relocation to La Paz however temporary, Jane knows that she has to transform the thinking of the populace to making them want Castillo as their leader as opposed to changing Castillo to something he inherently is not. The story follows a political strategist who's recruited to help the campaign of a Bolivian presidential. When Bodine realizes that she brought a liar into office, she has the car stopped and leaves to join Eduardo. [11] More casting was also announced, which included Reynaldo Pacheco, Dominic Flores, Louis Arcella, and Octavio Gmez. However, Castillo refuses to give permission for the team to do so. Others discuss plans but Jane is silent. Candy goes on to tell Jane, If you fight with monsters too long, you become a monster. Jane later says that shell kill herself if she loses to Candy again (though this appears to be hyperbole) She has lost every election against him. Around the edges of this story about Bullocks character, an especially ruthless consultant known as Calamity Jane, there are a few intriguing hints of other stories about the international financial system, the power of fear in politics and the American understanding of what democracy means when applied to other people in other countries. Maybe, kinda. Before long the SUV comes to a stop in the heavy traffic on the tiny streets. But it never keeps the energy up, steering into forced visual gags, dull spells of earnestness, and ponderous backstory psychologythe viewer never is quite sure who really did what to whom in the Candy-Bodine love-hate relationship. An young actress expresses concern with her part in the ad, which requires her to be caught by Castillo. She is approached by Candy, who tells her hes surprised shes working on an unwinnable campaign. [23], Eric Kohn from Indiewire wrote that the movie is all about Bullock's performance, saying "she imbues her part with a ferocious energy that constantly elevates the straightforward material". They are then in a restaurant, the entire campaign team drinking heavily. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs. As one of his first actions, he invites the IMF into Bolivia, thereby breaking his promise. At the start, Jane has been out of the consulting game for several years, following a traumatic mayoral race. She is unable to breath and is using an oxygen mask on the car ride to campaign headquarters. Eddie is delivering a framed photograph to now President-Elect Castillos Senate offices. [3] The film opened on October 30, 2015, alongside Burnt and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. When people say its a communist movie, I think they are hugely misunderstanding the movies point. Our Brand Is Crisis grossed $7 million in North America and $1.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $8.6 million, against a budget of $28 million. Jane highlights something in the book. "Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders.