For all the controversy, HBO's "Game Change" emerged a winner. It withstood the attacks from those within the camps of both John McCain and Sarah Palin and went on to be a ratings success for the cable network.
In a conversation with HBO Co-President Richard Plepler, POLITICO got the network's post-game analysis on how things went, now that the buzz has died down.
Continue Reading "We're delighted it did a nice number," said Plepler, referring to the 2.1 million viewers who tuned in to watch the premiere on Saturday night (the number doesn't include repeats). HBO said it was their most watched original movie in eight years" and Plepler noted that, with repeat airings, it could very well go on to be one of the most popular movies in the network's history.
However, Plepler says success isn't solely about ratings.
"But to us success is defined more by the fact that we made a really good movie about a particular chapter of recent American history. We worked with the best journalists. We had the best director and screenwriter you could imagine and we achieved what we set out to do which is to deliver on the implicit promise to our viewers that they're going to get something from HBO that they're not likely to see somewhere else and it's going to be of high quality. We believe we delivered on that promise."
Based on those criteria, Plepler calls "Game Change" a "resounding success."
Sarah Palin's SuperPAC — PalinPAC — launched an aggressive campaign against the film, using mock trailers, statements and a conference call with reporters to make the case that the movie was based on a false narrative. Plepler said he wasn't worried about the pushback turning into a problem.
"I would have only been worried if I felt that the bonafides of the movie were anything less than outstanding. We knew that we were extremely well sourced, and we had shown the script and the early cuts of the film to not only some of the principles of the movie but to many people who had been a part of that history. So we were very comfortable that we had produced something that could stand the test of real scrutiny."
Still, he kept his eye on the critics.
"When people started popping off about the movie who hadn't seen it, it didn't concern us at all because we knew once a lot of people saw the movie, the vast majority of them would say, 'Not only have you been fair, you have been especially empathetic to the complexity of these characters.'"
But the ratings success of "Game Change" doesn't necessarily mean more from that genre.
"I think that, for us, the success of 'Game Change' doesn't make us more or less inclined to do more political films. We're always interested in great stories. … It's really more about, what's the story? And the truth of the matter is, whether it's 'Too Big To Fail' or 'Recount' or 'Game Change,' they just happen to be incredibly engaging stories. And any time we find one of those, we tend to reach for it."
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