REVIEW: ‘Tea Party: A Documentary Film’ Leave You Wanting More

by Seth Mitchell

As readers of Big Hollywood well know, 2009 was the year of the Tea Party.  The masses of racist, xenophobic, rich, white, astro-turfers screamed and yelled at our helpless political leaders while clinging to their over-sized guns…oh, sorry I was just looking at my talking points from Keith Olbermann.  Fortunately, for those who have only heard the liberal media’s version of these events, a group of filmmakers decided to follow some of the individuals who became leaders in the Tea Party movement.  Tea Party: The Documentary Film is a tightly written and edited documentary that effectively shows the true nature and inspiration of the Tea Party movement and will inspire any red-blooded American to action.


Director Pritchett Cotten creates an effective narrative that shows the basis of this movement is a desire to return our nation to its core Constitutional values.  While these grassroots activists have been accused of many vicious motives, the film answers these charges by simply showing the enthusiasm and work of a broad range of men and woman who were moved to political action last year.  In doing so, Cotten avoids getting caught in the all-to-easy trap of mud-slinging, and allows these patriots’ tales to dominate the story and thus inspire the audience.

While watching the film I was struck by the fact that so many inside of the movement had never been politically active previous to last year.  Jack, a former Democrat, admitted that he basically sat on his couch and complained about Washington, but had finally realized that it was his responsibility to get involved.  As he said, “[I] can either be a part of the problem, or part of the solution.”

Fred Shessel, a doctor, follows suit; getting involved in politics when Obama’s healthcare plan threatened a government takeover of his industry.  He organized a group of doctors who visited various members of Congress in the days leading up to the 9/12 march, even having an unexpected debate with a group of experts gathered by Rep. John Conyers that was intelligent and respectful (well, until Conyers pulled the racism card).

It is these stories that make the film so powerful.  These individuals understand that is our duty as Americans to be informed about the issues facing our nation and to hold our representatives accountable for their decisions.  Any reasonable skeptic of the Tea Party movement or political bystander would have a hard time watching this film, and not, at the very least, applaud their fellow Americans for seeking to change the way Washington works.

As the film finished, it left me wanting more.  The events of last year are only the beginning of a Constitutional revolution that our country desperately needs.  While this journey back to our core values may seem impossible, Tea Party: The Documentary Film shows that propelling this movement forward is as simple as speaking up.


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Posted Feb 17th 2010 at 9:05 am in Film, Politics, Reviews | 32 Comments