In the ‘80s, there was a trend of films that built up their own cliché — the rag tag group of kids going up against the big city conglomerate, usually to save a community center. Do keep in mind that, given the period and narrative, in each of these films, the heroes are the locals and the bad guys are capitalists trying to take advantage of said locals. During the Age of Reaganomics, art and artists depicted capitalism as the problem, not a solution that would save neighborhoods. Instead, it would be the neighbors themselves, banding together for a common goal, which would bring about the safety and success of the community, not the mustache-twirling Monopoly Man who wants to shut down a well-liked, even if run-down gathering place. For those aware of these films, that’s what comes almost immediately to mind when watching the new project, Citizen Weiner, from filmmaker Daniel Robbins (Uncaged; Pledge), a documentary about actor Zack Weiner (Uncaged; Pledge) who decided to run for the New York City Council District 6 seat in the 2021 election.
Though the events of Weiner’s run for government office are recent, they may not have made such a splash to have garnered attention outside of the city, or, at the very least, been retained in the years since. Because of this, even with the controversy that did arise during the election (which the Robbins leans into at the start of the doc before jumping backward a year), this review won’t get into the outcome of the race because, and this is as truthful as it gets, that part doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of what Robbins is presenting. Scored and edited for maximum hilarity, while also being smart enough not to cut around anything cringe (as the kids would say), Citizen Weiner oscillates between political farce and honest-to-goodness “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You” energy as it captures several significant moments throughout the year-long campaign in which an out-of-work actor (due to COVID) from the Upper West Side tries to give back to his community.
Crowdsurfing: Zack Weiner in CITIZEN WEINER. Photo courtesy of Prodigy PR.
At the start of the doc, the general vibe of Weiner and his campaign manager/fellow actor Joe Gallagher (Pledge) is a mix of “we have nothing better to do” and complete sincerity. So much so, that the further into the documentary we go, you can almost tell the moment that Gallagher wonders what he’s gotten himself into while Weiner continues to (mostly) try to make the best out of whatever situation they’re in. That Robbins don’t shy away from making it plain that Weiner has hired a close friend with, from what we can tell, no experience as a campaign manager, a TikTok influencer as a marketing director (Sarah Coffey), a dude looking to make a change in his life with no background as a finance director *as* a finance director (James Watson), and a body man who doesn’t want his full name used to identify him (sorry, Aaron Dalla Villa). This is that aforementioned rag-tag group who are hilariously ill-equipped to go up against their competition, the well-established Gale Brewer, and yet, we root for them the whole way. It doesn’t matter what rules they don’t understand or try to manipulate, or how badly the grass roots approach goes, or the various stumbles that are made in the journey, each choice made is this odd combination of carpe diem and anti-establishment anarchism with a dash of help thy neighbor. Some of this comes through as Weiner, very early on, gets weirdly focused on tying his campaign to finding a kidney donor for an ailing long-time West Side Democrat. Like all things with Weiner, the more time you spend with him, the more you see the sweetness come through and you start to see that the oddness and off-approaches to his campaign come not just from a lack of experience, but a real desire to enact change as a display of skill to make up for his lack of education and experience.
This is both a weakness and a strength within Robbins’s doc, as though we are following along rather intimately on this journey. As well as the usual talking head interviews and news breaks, we only really get this period of time to focus on Weiner and, therefore, must extrapolate information about him and create our own interpretation on what/who Weiner is. To that end, Citizen Weiner isn’t so much a biopic or deep exploration, but a portrait that captures a moment in time. More importantly, and this is where the leaning on comedy really makes the film charming, is how (intentionally or not) Robbins points out just how easy it is for anyone to get involved in government and to do so with limited means. Yes, Weiner does come from a place of position thanks to his family and we don’t ever really figure out how he’s paying anyone to do what they’re doing, but we are invited into the campaign in such a way that Weiner confides in us, the audience, much to his incredulity, just how cheap it is financially to start a campaign and what’s needed (more or less) to keep it legal.
If one steps back from Citizen Weiner, strips away the privilege that is running for office out of boredom, and gets to the core of it, one can see that Robbins presents the story of a true everyperson in a battle, not just against the machine, but themselves. Unfortunately for us, we’re left to decide for ourselves which parts of Weiner we want to carry with us when the film is over. His intent to put on airs when he’s on camera, requires us to parse his comments and actions for the true visage of who the kid candidate is. What we’re left with, though, is something hopeful, something that tells us that if this kid, for all his opportunity, could try this and affect real change in his district (as is presented to us), then what’s to stop any of us from forming our own rag-tag group?
Corporate profits are already too high and that community center isn’t going to save itself.
Screening during Slamdance Film Festival 2024.
Available on VOD and digital October 29th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Slamdance Citizen Weiner webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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