The GOP presidential race met Hollywood when candidate Mitt Romney's campaign got the silent-film treatment this weekend.
In celebration of the Academy Awards, "The Chris Matthews Show" released a parody trailer slamming the former Massachusetts governor in the style of the Best Picture-winning silent film "The Artist."
The Web video, titled "Mitt: Better Off Mute," mocks Romney for verbal gaffes on the campaign trail.
"Much like the perfect silent picture star whose career was thwarted by the emergence of sound in cinema, Mitt Romney has stumbled when he's had to open his mouth," says the mock trailer's written text, posted on YouTube.
"Meet Mitt Romney — the PERFECT presidential candidate. A real crowd pleaser — right out of central casting! He just LOOKS like a president!" the silent-movie-style text continues, as the video is interspersed with footage of Romney.
"But — a terrible problem ... He'd be better off as a silent movie star," reads the text.
A vocal Romney is then heard saying, "I love this state. It seems right here. The trees are the right height."
The presidential hopeful's "trees" comment, which came during a speech in Michigan, was widely panned and ridiculed by late-night comedians.
Romney's campaign has sought to battle claims from rivals that its candidate is out-of-touch or has a difficult time connecting with voters.
Romney heads into Tuesday's dual primaries hoping to come out ahead of his closest opponent, Rick Santorum. He is leading in recent Michigan and Arizona polls, but Santorum is within striking distance.
A Gallup tracking poll released Sunday shows Romney overtaking rival Santorum nationally, after a tumultuous February that saw the presumptive front-runner trail by double digits in many national polls.
"The Artist" took home three top awards during Sunday night's Oscar ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a lead role.
