We the People

Shown at the 1998 AFI "Visions of US" competition, writer-director-editor Vincent Mancuso's satirical short finds Gino (Peter Ginari), a robust Italian-American, cooking up a meal while politician (Frank Biancamano) blathers away on Gino's TV. Suddenly, Gino notices that the politician is talking directly to him, offering campaign promises preposterous enough to make even Clinton blush, and magically furnishing forth a feast on Gino's table. All the politician asks for in return is Gino's vote and one buck. As a political satire on the empty rhetoric of politicians vis-à-vis the common man's trials and tribulations, this is pretty transparent and wispy stuff. It doesn't help either that the comic pacing is slow and the material repetitive. Not recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)