Spinning Boris

Spinning Boris
DVD cover
Directed by	Roger Spottiswoode
Written by	Yuri Zeltser Grace Cary Bickley
Produced by	Cydney Bernard
Starring	Jeff Goldblum Anthony LaPaglia Liev Schreiber
Cinematography	John S. Bartley
Edited by	Michael Pacek
Music by	Jeff Danna
Release date	October 23, 2003 (2003-10-23)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Spinning Boris is a 2003 American comedy film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Jeff Goldblum, Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber. In the film, Boris Yeltsin secretly hires three American consultants during his 1996 reelection campaign, when his approval rating was at 6%. With the help of the consultants, Yeltsin won the election six months later. The film claimed to be based on the true story of three American political consultants who worked for the successful reelection campaign of Boris Yeltsin in 1996.

Plot

In early 1996, three Republican Party campaign operatives take a secret job to assist Boris Yeltsin's reelection. Once in Moscow, they learn Yeltsin is polling at 6% against the Communist Party of the Russian Federation candidate Gennady Zyuganov with the election only a few months away. They decide to vote on whether to stay. Dick Dresner wants to go home, George Gorton and Joe Shumate vote to stay in Moscow. They get the attention of Yeltsin's daughter Tatyana Yumasheva. They then start to do polling, focus groups, messaging, and spin. Yeltsin's poll numbers begin to go up. The three men are unsure who hired them. They do not know whether Yeltsin's allies want him to win. Eventually, Yeltsin wins the election.

Cast

• Jeff Goldblum – George Gorton
• Anthony LaPaglia – Dick Dresner
• Liev Schreiber – Joe Shumate
• Boris Krutonog – Felix Braynin
• Svetlana Efremova – Tatyana Dyachenko
• Shauna MacDonald – Lisa
• Gregory Hlady – Andrei Lugov
• Vladimir Radian – Vasso
• Ilia Volok – Elvis Impersonator
• Konstantin Kazakov – Oleg Soskovets
• Judah Katz – Michael Kramer

See also

• Boris Yeltsin presidential campaign, 1996
• History of Russia (1991–present)#"Shock therapy"

External links

• Spinning Boris at IMDb
• Spinning Boris at Rotten Tomatoes
• Article about film (Russian)
• Time Magazine article (July 15, 1996) detailing the events in the movie