The video: Long before the March 10 HBO premiere of Game Change, the movie adaptation of the eponymous book, HBO released the first photo of Julianne Moore in her role as former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Did she look the part? "You kinda sorta betcha!" said James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly. As the film proved, however, Moore's ability to channel Palin went well beyond looks, says Troy Patterson at Slate. Aside from nailing the accent and the intonation, she "aced the immodest task of humanizing the media beast called Sarah Palin," and delivered a performance "so compassionate" that you forget you're not actually watching Palin herself. Now, a buzzy new YouTube video (watch below) that painstakingly compares Moore's impersonation with real footage of Palin only reinforces the "uncanny" similarities.
The reaction: Whatever your political leanings, the video presents an almost airtight argument that Moore is "absolutely dead on in her portrayal of Palin's voice, mannerisms and attitude," says Jordan Zakarin in The Hollywood Reporter. "It's difficult to think of 12 minutes that simultaneously give you a great appreciation for the craft of acting and also make you want to throttle someone," says Cassie Murdoch at Jezebel. Still, it's hard not to long for Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live version of the former Alaska governor because "as good as she is, Moore doesn't have the true glint of crazy in her eyes that Palin naturally has (and which somehow Tina Fey managed to capture perfectly)." Check out the video comparison:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
New York prosecutors lay out case against TrumpSpeed Read The former president's first criminal trial started in earnest Monday
-
You Are Here: the new David Nicholls 'past-their-prime' romanceThe Week Recommends 'Midlife disenchantment' gives way to romance for two walkers on a cross-country hike
-
The new powers to stop stalking in the UKThe Explainer Updated guidance could help protect more victims, but public is losing trust in police and battered criminal justice system
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
