James Carville on His Doc ‘Winning Is Everything, Stupid,’ the Election and Persuading Biden to Drop Out

As a political junkie who has followed James Carville‘s career since the Clinton era, I couldn’t be more thrilled about his return to the spotlight in Matt Tyrnauer’s latest documentary, “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid.


Thirty-one years following his debut in D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’ “The War Room,” the cunning, straightforward political strategist James Carville is once again the central figure in a documentary titled “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid,” by Matt Tyrnauer.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’m excited to share that a movie I’ve been eagerly anticipating will finally hit the big screen! Just days before its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, CNN Films acquired it. Mark your calendars for October 11th, as Greenwich Entertainment will be releasing this masterpiece in cinemas near you.

“Carville’s Crusade: The Pursuit of Winning over Biden’s 2024 Decision

EbMaster held a conversation with Carville and Tyrnauer prior to the documentary’s showing at the Hamptons International Film Festival, which takes place on October 10th in East Hampton.

Hey Matt, was your decision to create this document on your own driven by an attempt to find a distributor for the film but ultimately not finding one, or was it your intention from the start to produce the film independently?

Director Tyrnauer: The film felt like an individual production to me. It was a documentary about politics that I had a vision for, and I wanted to execute it precisely as I envisioned. I desired the movie to be unique, and James is quite unusual, so I believed it would suit a private equity project well. Fortunately, we were able to secure the funding. I enjoy this style of production and I hadn’t had the opportunity to do so for some time.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’ve found that crafting a contemporary, politically charged documentary can be quite a daring endeavor, as many prominent distributors tend to steer clear of such projects. In truth, there were moments when I harbored concerns about the film’s commercial success.

Matthew Tyrnauer’s debut film, “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” explored the world of fashion. Despite repeated cautions that fashion documentaries wouldn’t succeed, it became one of the most successful documentaries of the year. This experience taught him a valuable lesson – if you have a strong idea, obstacles like skepticism are hurdles to be overcome as best as possible. He hopes that the sale of this movie might help change the trend of political documentaries struggling to find an audience.

Who is the intended audience for this doc?

The field of politics, encompassing not just campaign staff, but also office-holders, NGO workers, volunteers, and so forth, has acquired a terrible image due to the widespread dislike of politics that we often encounter. I hope this scene shows people thinking, “Those folks seem to be enjoying themselves. They’re having fun. Perhaps I could run for the sewage and water board, or the airport commission, or something similar.” In essence, it’s about inspiring people to consider getting involved in politics, no matter at what level.

Do you think Trump voters will watch this doc?

I truly hope that’s the case. This movie, you see, has a bipartisan appeal, as it features characters from both Democratic and Republican backgrounds. Interestingly, neither James nor Mary can be categorized as typical “coastal elites.” There’s something for everyone in this film, and I genuinely wish that everyone would have the opportunity to watch it.

Are you considering showing the movie in swing states as well, since it’s premiering theatrically in New York and Los Angeles?

No matter where we have to go, we’re committed to showing this movie. James and I are launching a promotional drive for the film during the month leading up to the upcoming election.

Carville: We are in a campaign. I’m like, “Okay. We are in this motherfucker. Let’s win.”

The central plot of the movie revolves around Carville’s one-year campaign to dissuade President Joe Biden from seeking re-election in 2024. It wasn’t until June 27, 2024, during the Trump-Biden debate night, that the Democratic party endorsed his initiatives. Interestingly, this debate occurred about two months before the movie was first screened at Telluride. Can you tell me how much the movie altered in those two months?

I completed the movie early on the day of the Trump-Biden debate. Later that evening, I conducted a test screening at my home with ten individuals who were intentionally watching it instead of the debate. As the debate began and we started the movie, I received a text from James, who was watching the debate, stating, “I’ve just taken two gummies and I’m listening to country music.” This made me realize that I needed to alter the entire ending of the film.

James, do you think that Kamala Harris — a woman — has a chance of winning the election?

Carville: Hillary won the popular vote by more than a little bit.

Yes, but the popular vote at the end of the day doesn’t matter.

It’s true, and it might have gone unnoticed or not mattered to some, but she did what was done. What struck me most is the apprehension that Democratic women seem to harbor regarding a female candidate from their party. I believe this anxiety is particularly prevalent among well-off Democratic women.

What do you think will happen on Nov. 5?

Carville: Let me be straightforward: I’m not sure, and honestly, I don’t spend much time pondering on it because when I started my career, I was advised that if you’re too focused on who might triumph, you lose sight of strategies to make victory possible.

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2024-10-11 18:17