Nick Broomfield, one of Britain’s best documentarians (don’t worry I checked that it’s a real word) teams up with one of America’s finest (Joan Churchill) to take on the easiest target around, Britney Spears Sarah Palin. In their defense this is not a “hit piece” and the film does not set out with a foregone conclusion.
Sadly, despite spending three months in the town of Wasilla, Alaska the only interviewees close to Palin that Broomfield manages to talk to are her parents, who don’t provide much depth. It seems that anyone still associated with Palin has been warned off of participating in the documentary so we only really hear one side of the story, but what a story it is.
A lot of the information has come out before, but having it all presented to you in a single film can be a terrifying experience. The things Palin has done on her way to almost-the-top are astounding. The expression “threw me under the bus” is on the verge of becoming a catchphrase by the time the credits rolled. The documentary has a strong personality, filled with humour and damning archive footage.
Slightly incomplete and already out of date now that Sarah Palin will not be running for election in 2012, Sarah Palin: You Betcha! remains an entertaining and informative documentary and is a must-watch when it becomes available to do so. Maybe it would have been better if it had been a “hit piece”.
After the film Broomfield and Churchill came out to answer questions. Helpfully I recorded this all on my phone to transcribe later, only to delete the file immediately afterwards. Whoops. All I can offer is the fact that Broomfield was wearing the same outfit he can be seen wearing throughout the documentary, and in the promo image at the top of this review. Sorry!
Mild Concern 