Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Game Change scores 7.5/10 across five categories — strongest on Acting (Well Above Average), weakest on Plot (Below Average).
Ranked among Quartile’s Top Acting.
During the Republican run of the 2008 Presidential election, candidate John McCain picks a relative unknown, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, to be his running mate. As the campaign kicks into high gear, her lack of experience, in both political and media savvy, becomes a drain upon McCain and his strategists.
Game Change is carried almost entirely by Julianne Moore's uncanny and nuanced portrayal of Sarah Palin, earning the film an Emmy and wide critical praise — Acting is its clear standout. The plot is a competent dramatization of a well-documented political saga, but largely follows a familiar rise-and-stumble arc without deep structural ambition. Cinematography is functional TV-movie level with some handheld verite energy to evoke the campaign trail, but nothing visually distinctive. Novelty is moderate — dramatizing a still-fresh political episode so quickly after the fact was bold, but the 'fish out of water in high-stakes politics' template is familiar. The ending settles for a reflective but slightly tidy coda that matches the historical record without adding much dramatic resonance.