Opening on the admission that only part of the story that follows is true, Stephen Gyllenhaal’s GRASSROOTS immediately spells out that it glosses over the methodologies of local politics, whilst saying precious little about the story it imbues with tepid dramatic license.

Set in 2001 Seattle, the film stars Joel David Moore (bit-part player in films ranging from AVATAR to DODGEBALL) as Grant Cogswell, a fledgling music critic whose outspoken nature has lead him to become somewhat notorious for roaming the streets dressed as a polar bear. Alongside his best friend Phil Campbell (Jason Biggs, playing it relatively straight), a journalist who recently lost his job, Grant makes the kneejerk decision to turn his candid opinions about the city he loves into a career in politics, announcing that he will stand against long-term incumbent Richard McIver (Cedric the Entertainer) in the upcoming City Council elections.

While the story of an initially diminutive figure standing up against the big guy remains intact, [the] political bite is blunted by goofy humour.

Believing that McIver is an antagonist figure that stands for everything wrong with Seattle, especially the daily traffic problems, Grant builds an initially weak campaign. Fuelled by his desire to expand the electronic monorail system, that was implemented but only given a limited platform, it gradually expands and begins to take its toll on both Phil and Grant.

While the story of an initially diminutive figure standing up against the big guy remains intact, Gyllenhaal’s treatment of Campbell’s book ‘Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics’ is plodding and unengaging; a dramedy whose political bite is blunted by goofy humour. Although Biggs delivers an oddly engaging performance of a man stuck between his friendship and a desire to embark on a career as a serious journalist, all the while trying to balance the campaign with his girlfriend (Lauren Ambrose in a wasted role), he is undercut by the almost constant presence of Moore. The gratingly one-note portrayal of a man who speaks first and thinks later provides the film with its numerous missteps. Though not without its sparse merits, GRASSROOTS is a film that thinks it’s a lot more heartfelt and savvy than it actually is, amounting to very little as it bounds from one predictable point to the next.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-f3LA9Vc_c