Susan Bradford: Casino Jack an unfair portrayal of superlobbyist

Abramoff Scandal | Opinion

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

"Casino Jack will soon debut in Washington, DC, filling the airwaves with ever more lies and distortions at a time when the public is seeking clarity and attempting to forge solutions to the numerous challenges, including corruption, which will confront the new Congress. Viewers will find little to inspire or elucidate them in this film, which attempts to dramatize the Abramoff scandal with mendacious flair.

It is difficult to review a film which is so profoundly vulgar and dishonest. Kevin Spacey should be hanging his head in shame over his pathetic portrayal of super lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who comes across as a deluded, overbearing ogre with no sense of comedic timing or soul. As a lobbyist, Abramoff was creative and inspired his team by his commitment to his ideals, mastery of the issues, and unrelenting determination to win on behalf of his clients.

Despite his libertarian leanings, Abramoff was also a feminist in the truest sense of the word. Within Greenberg Traurig, his office was known as “the House of Ruth,” a name given to a battered women’s shelter in Washington, DC, since he protected female colleagues from the rampant sexual harassment and degradation of misogynistic men at this firm. As Abramoff’s former female colleagues can attest, the nation’s premier superlobbyist engaged women with kindness and respect and supported their professional aspirations.

Yet, Spacey somehow depicts Abramoff as a crude man who objectifies his wife, who somehow revels in his objectification. Completely defying the spirit of Abramoff, the movie reduces women to incidental play things, who leave their undergarments hanging from chandeliers and indiscriminately dole out pleasure to thugs. The casino boats the lobbyist endeavored to purchase in Florida, which provided light, clean entertainment for pensioners, is depicted in the film as a seedy strip club. As an Orthodox Jew, Abramoff never condoned the exploitation of women nor did he attempt to invest in the skin trade."

Get the Story:
Casino Jack is a Lie-Filled Shipwreck (Susan Bradford 11/9)