'Speed' To The Presidency
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The other night I was watching the movie, Speed. As part of the introduction before the movie started, an executive from Twentieth Century Fox discussed what makes a 'hit'. A lot of it has to do with marketing. After all, if a studio makes a great movie but it is not marketed well then no one will see it. He concluded there were three categories that made for a marketable, and hopefully a hit movie.
First, there is the movie with star power. Forest Gump is a good example. Patrons at the theater might tell the person working the ticket booth they want to see that new Tom Hanks movie. Similarly, people who saw Erin Brockavich went to see the latest Julia Roberts film.
Second, there is the movie with a well known storyline. X-Men and Spiderman already had a huge following of fans before the film version ever came out. The Devil Wears Prada was a bestselling book so there was a ready made audience. Such films may or may not have major movie stars playing the roles. It is not dependent on star power to be a success.
Third, there is the movie with a Big Idea. Speed was a great movie because it had a big idea. We have all seen action movies with bombs and chase scenes before, but Speed was unique in that it had an original, big concept - a madman/former cop is up against a good cop (Keanu Reeves) as he sets a bomb to go off on a city bus if it drops below 50 mph. When the busdriver accidently gets shot, a pretty female passenger (Sandra Bullock) has to drive the bus as Reeves and the police try to outwit and capture the bad guy. Adding to the tension is the setting, Los Angeles, one of the biggest traffic nightmares in the country.
Because Speed was a Big Idea movie, it wasn't reliant on major star power. Reeves and Bullock were not very well known at the time, though they both proved excellent in their roles. It was the Big Idea that propelled the film and made it a hit.
As I thought about these three categories, I couldn't help but to consider the presidential election. In which category would we place Barack Obama? Is the success of his campaign driven by star power, the candidate himself or does he have Big Ideas which the voters find compelling? I believe Obama fits in the first category. He has undeniable charisma and eloquence which attracts huge crowds. However, his ideas for the country don't strike me as particularly 'big' or even original. In fact parallels have been drawn between him and Jimmy Carter - many of Obama's positions appear to be warmed over from the 70's Carter administration, though articulated with more zest and optimism than Carter was ever able to deliver.
What of John McCain? In which category does he fit? Though he has a great, personal hero story, his personality does not exactly bring to mind 'star power'. Neither do I think he has any particularly Big Ideas of what he would do as president, notwithstanding his commitment to win in Iraq and ultimately to win the war on terror.
Supporters of McCain do so mostly for the reasons we find in category two. McCain is a known storyline. His conservative vision of lower taxes, a strong national defense and limited government already had a throng of loyal fans. McCain currently has the lead role in a film with a ready made audience. That is why it is not as important that he be the most sizzling speaker to ever seek the White House, though it would have been helpful.
In contrast, listen to the ardent fans of Obama. When asked what they think Obama would do for the country specifically in the way of policy, they are usually vague (as the candidate oftentimes is himself) or they have no answer at all. Though the constant slogan of 'change' would cause one to think he is running a Big Idea campaign, he is not. People want Obama because they just like and are drawn to the man himself. Pure star power.
A known storyline versus star power - which will prove to be the biggest hit? I suppose we shall see when the voters go to the box office in November.
