New Kerry Film Pushed By MoveOn Bombs At Box Office

By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
October 4, 2004

Despite strongly supporting and promoting a new movie touting Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry and his service in Vietnam heavily to its members last week, liberal political action group MoveOn.org had very little effect on the box office totals and saw the movie bomb in its opening weekend.

The new pro-Kerry movie which hit theaters on Friday just one month before the presidential election is called "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry." MoveOn.org had high hopes this film would perform well over the weekend.

"It's a great new movie," MoveOn.org gushed to its supporters in an e-mail last week, describing the film as "a moving and powerful film about John Kerry and the Vietnam War."

Sending out a call to action, MoveOn.org asked its members to go see the film to "make sure it opens big in theaters nationwide."

"We're going to launch this movie with a bang," MoveOn.org predicted.

However, according to boxofficemojo.com, the 130-minute unrated documentary film only garnered a paltry $303,000 in 160 theaters, making it one of the poorest performing releases of the weekend where "A Shark's Tale" was the top-grossing moving at $49.1 million.

Nevertheless, MoveOn.org called this "an exciting new movie" that "has the power to change the way we see John Kerry forever."

Giving their supporters a glimpse of what to expect from the movie, MoveOn.org said "it's bigger than" just Vietnam.

"It's a gripping, powerful film about how our country wrestles with war," the anti-Bush group declared. "It's vivid without being confrontational -- a political movie you can bring your Republican uncle to."

MoveOn.org claims the film is beloved by movie critics from Time Magazine, The New York Time and Entertainment Weekly.

Attempting to compare "Going Upriver" with the successful release of liberal producer Michael Moore's anti-Bush film "Fahrenheit 9/11," MoveOn.org said this new film "doesn't have the controversy and marketing muscle behind it that Fahrenheit 9/11 did ... but everyone we know who's seen it has been moved and surprised by its power."

Hoping the film would be "a word-of-mouth phenomenon ... to make it a success," the actual numbers for the film fell well short of MoveOn.org's expectations.

Explaining that this film is important to counter President George W. Bush's assertion that "Kerry doesn't have what it takes to defend America," MoveOn.org testifies that the candidate they are supporting "has tremendous heart and determination."

"As Going Upriver affirms, Kerry not only bravely risked his life serving on Swift Boats in Vietnam, but, upon his return to America, he refused to abandon the men still fighting," MoveOn.org said. "Despite vicious personal attacks, John Kerry courageously spoke out to end a war he knew was wrong."

MoveOn.org added, "That's the kind of leadership we want in our president."

The liberal 527 group said this film "delivers plenty of inspiration" and is scheduled to release on DVD on October 15.