'The Congressman' Film Review

Sep 9, 2016
2 min read

'The Congressman' is a smaller, independent film starring Treat Williams as a US senator from Maine who seems to be at the tail end of his political career. From his attitude and demeanor, it is easy to see that Senator Winship (Williams) has grown weary from his time in office. His marriage has come to an end and his overall outlook on things have changed since he was a younger man.

Embroiled in controversy in regards to being filmed not standing for the pledge of allegiance (an issue currently relevant in our country today regarding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick), Winship seemingly makes things worse when he appears to give a Nazi salute to a TV reporter. Other congressional members are now out to have Winship removed from office and have a deal to put his assistant Jared Barnes in his place. Jared also goes through a major transformation in this film, going from a snobbish weasel of a man to a man of character and values.

Winship's speech at the end of the film regarding the defense of his patriotism actually swayed my own belief in the matter of the pledge of allegiance. While I personally still believe that it's the right thing to do, no matter where you are, I can absolutely understand the converse side of the matter, moreso than I did previously. His decision to leave his past life behind and start anew was empowering and inspiring. His time on the island truly changed his character, having started to fall in love with a woman named Rae and his affections for the residents of Catatonk.

Before viewing this film, I was a bit hesitant, as politics just aren't all that interesting to me. But the satirical spin this film puts on the matter made it funny and enjoyable. The real beauty of this film came in the form of Winship's newly gained perspective as he traveled to Catatonk Island to speak with locals about their overfishing problem. Winship's trip to the island rejuvented him in a way that he didn't think was possible, as he had been putting off the trip for a while. I also really loved the music in this film. The indie/folksy vibe of each song fit very well within the context of each scene and the emotions of the situations at hand. The actors played their parts very well and the story was engaging and interesting, even heart-warming at times.