Spitzer Uncut

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is given a chance to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation in this extended interview with filmmaker Stephen Trombley. Unfortunately, Spitzer could not have found a more unflattering format to plead his case: a static camera frames Spitzer in a badly lit close-up while the ex-politician serves up passionless sound bites recalling his various experiences. At one point, Spitzer is interrupted by a siren blaring outside the room where the video was shot, after which Trombley abruptly stops filming and then resumes after a clumsy edit. Not surprisingly, Spitzer Uncut gives the viewer too much information about the formative years of Spitzer's life and too little about the bizarre call girl scandal that ended his governorship. Spitzer also takes advantage of his onscreen time to lob criticism at various political foes and media sources—in one strangely tactless moment even dubbing the Wall Street Journal “schizophrenic” for what he perceives as a disconnect between its news reporting and its editorial page ruminations. Unlike the more visceral documentary Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (VL-1/11), this effort is both bland and visually monotonous. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)