Sarah Palin is demanding that cable television network HBO label its upcoming film “Game Change,” a chronicle of the 2008 presidential campaign, a work of “fiction.”
She’s also encouraging supporters to donate to her political action committee in a new Web ad that plays off the movie’s trailer.
“The screenwriter of Game Change, Danny Strong, lapsed into a tired routine of manipulating facts and omitting key parts of Governor Palin’s story in order to push a biased agenda and drive ratings,
” Palin
’s PAC wrote in an email to supporters.
“We have warned viewers of Game Change’s distortions — based upon the description and reports from people who have viewed the film, HBO must add a disclaimer that this movie is fiction.
“The movie is based on the non-fiction book of the same name, which was written by respected journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.
The accompanying Web commercial satirizes the HBO trailer, at times swapping “HBO Films” out for “HBO Fiction” or rearranging the network’s name to “BHO” —- President Obama’s initials. When actress Julianne Moore is shown answering her phone, saying, “This is Sarah,” onscreen text reads, “No. This is Sarah.”
The ad then segues into a montage of politicians, commentators and men on the street praising the former Alaska governor’s vice presidential bid.
“SarahPAC’s latest video, Game Change We Can Believe In, shares the true story of the 2008 Presidential race, the same story that millions of Americans witnessed. It is a story of a gutsy, Washington-outsider taking politics-as-usual by storm, the story of a spirited reformer who refused to conform to establishment norms,” Palin’s PAC wrote. “Governor Palin left her home state of Alaska with an 80% approval rating to electrify the nation overnight with commonsense conservative solutions.”
HBO has defended the film, arguing to reporters that the movie is a “balanced portrayal” of the campaign, and noting that Palin has admitted to not yet having seen the film.
“HBO has a long track record of producing fact-based dramas, going to great lengths to get the story right,” HBO executive Quentin Schaffer wrote in a letter obtained by Variety.
Shaffer went on to say that much of the “noise about the film” has come from “several Palin aides trying to discredit it even though they haven’t yet seen it.”
