Blue State DVD Review

Like so many Americans in the early millennium, John Logue is a citizen unhappy with how George W. Bush and his administration handled their first presidential term. He decides to temporarily leave his job to join the John Kerry campaign in 2004 only to find that his hard work and strong will do not ultimately pay off. This is the basic premise for Marshall Lewy’s Blue State, an independent film with base elements of romance, comedy, and political individuality. The story may be about someone who leans hard to the left but in the end, Blue State finds itself in the middle of mediocrity rather than on one entertaining wing or the other.

Breckin Meyer plays John Logue, who happens to be the same character that Meyer has portrayed in many of his other roles. Sure, John is a hardcore disgruntled Democrat but the true character is nothing outside of what Meyer is capable of. That’s not necessarily a negative element because Meyer is good at what he does.

After Bush wins his second term, John decides to fulfill his previous promise to move to Canada if John Kerry did not win because his job that he left to join the campaign is not waiting for him when he returns, his girlfriend who he was taking time away from is engaged, and his blog, The Donkey Revolution, is gaining little notice on the internet. So he conducts interviews with people willing to drive to Canada with him. After going through some people who would most definitely provide a less than desirable road trip, John meets Chloe, played by Anna Paquin. She also doesn’t stretch her acting capabilities but does a fine job of playing the role she is good at.

They don’t hit it off amazingly well at first but there is a certain chemistry. As they progress on their road trip, they find out more and more about each other. They stop at John’s parents’ house only to find themselves in the center of dysfunction and high emotional tension, which causes them to keep trucking onto Canada sooner than they expected.

John and Chloe finally get to Winnipeg, Canada where Chloe discovers that they are indeed visiting a company called Marry-A-Canadian that specializes in helping Americans marry Canadians in order to gain citizenship. The attraction that seems to have been building between John and Chloe is crushed when he ignores for the evening and exposes his feelings for her. She hints that she has, or had, mutual feelings but is caught up in an emotional explosion where words are unable to solve the problem. John decides to get a marriage license with the woman who runs the company but ultimately decides that Canadians hate America entirely too much and that he can’t go through with his initial plans. The duo travels some more through Canada and Chloe and John finally find themselves connecting physically. However, the day after their feelings are brought to fruition, Chloe decides that rather than staying in Canada to avoid her duty as an enlisted American soldier, she will return and most likely suffer a dishonorable discharge. When she does so, John returns and waits for her.

The story is simple and not all that exciting. It has its moments of surprise and engagement but it isn’t consistently above the line of mediocrity. The best parts of the film are when the political fire is burning because the Bush criticisms have even more relevance and humor now than they did four years ago. However, Blue State fails to ever really jump off the screen. It’s a decent film that looks good (it was shot on super 16 mm) and has a fun spin on events but the character arcs are a little forced and not as appealing as they try and make themselves out to be.

The Special Features consist of a commentary by Marshall Lewy, which has some fun pieces of information regarding the making of the film. Otherwise though, there are just some trailers for great films.

Blue State is a so-so film but it works on a certain level because it’s aware that it’s not some intensely expressive independent film. And although the characters don’t grab you and pull you into the story, they offer an entertaining road trip with some hilarious political commentary that will make members of any political party get a laugh at some point.