Korman: Obama, Biden, muff in new burger feature

Although the summer movie season has just begun, it’s never too early to start ranking the… Although the summer movie season has just begun, it’s never too early to start ranking the season’s best and worst performances.

This year’s slew of blockbusters features many of the usual suspects. The Hugh Jackman-headlined “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the J.J. Abrams-produced “Star Trek” are already out, and the latest “Harry Potter” installment is on slate for July release.

Amid the summer Hollywood hoopla, it’s easy to forget that many classics begin in limited release and some aren’t released conventionally at all — Oscar machine “Slumdog Millionaire” premiered at film festivals more than four months before it hit our multiplexes, and Sarah Palin’s Oscar-worthy performance as a viable vice presidential candidate never even hit U.S. movie theaters at large.

So as a reprieve from the season’s marketing blitzkriegs, we were treated on Tuesday to a new, generally unanticipated production courtesy of the White House.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were front and center in this latest feature, which was shown in its entirety on countless cable and broadcast channels, from CNN to Fox News to MSNBC, and is now available streaming on the Associated Press’ Web site.

The footage, shot in classic documentary style, opens with Obama and Biden waiting in line at Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Va. The president is first shown engaging in jovial banter with the joint’s owner.

“Hey Pete, you gotta clear these folks out so they can order,” he self-deprecates, referring to the media circus he and Biden brought into the store.

In the wake of a campaign during which Obama was relentlessly accused of elitism, the purpose of this opening sequence is obvious.

First, Obama is on a first-name basis with the restaurant’s manager. Here, the so-called “Leader of the Free World” is depicted as decidedly blue-collar and unpretentious. He even says “you gotta,” demonstrating his casual grammar.

The underlying message is clear: They don’t teach “gotta” at Harvard Law School. Obama’s persona is thus recast as decidedly non-elitist.

The feature, which clocks in at just less than two minutes, is abound with blue-collar imagery and themes. The line cooks in the background pay little mind to the clamor in the foreground, instead focusing resolutely on the down-and-dirty jobs for which they are paid.

While it’s indeed predictable that Obama and Biden order lunch for themselves, we are presented with an unexpected plot twist when the president additionally requests “a bunch that we need, ahh [pause], to go.” The “bunch,” we are to presume, is for his staff. Biden proceeds to pay for the entire order in cash. “We don’t want people to think we’re freeloading,” Obama jokes.

Through the diligent depiction of the line cooks and the executives’ generous order, the film solidifies itself as a poignant commentary on the dismal state of the economy today. The message inherent in these scenes is that we can help the economy get back on track through hard work and industry, and that the few who have expendable cash to burn can stimulate markets by treating their staffs to delicious cheeseburger lunches.

Overall, Obama’s performance is marginally convincing at best. He stays true to his character, requesting a classic cheddar burger with lettuce and tomato.

But the script falters when the president asks to hold the ketchup — sorry, Pittsburghers. He instead opts for “a spicy mustard, maybe a Dijon mustard, or something like that.”

Dijon? What were the producers thinking? This is Ray’s Hell Burger, not Le Cafe Luxuriant, Mr. Fancy Pants. Unfortunately, Biden’s performance doesn’t hold up much better.

“I got a Swiss cheeseburger, jalapeno peppers,” says Biden, in a manner that is both excruciatingly awkward and inadvertently forceful.

He later makes an attempt to provide unpretentious dialogue — “Do you put ketchup on it or do we do that ourselves?” But the vice president’s offer to apply his condiments himself — with his bare hands, no less! — comes off as artificially modest.

Consider this in conjunction with the sheer exoticness of the vice president’s burger — the bitterness of the Swiss and acidity of the jalapeno would undoubtedly clash — and the clip’s thematic disparities become painfully evident.

Even the costuming choices contradict the video’s intended message, with the leads donning suits and ties as opposed to casual button-downs with Levis. The cinematography is perhaps the production’s only redeeming feature. We’re to marvel at the inspiring close-up of Obama’s hand as it casually deposits a dollar bill into the tip jar. Unfortunately, the gratuity is far too little and way too late.

By the way, Joe, they put the ketchup on for you. But thanks for the offer.

E-mail Ben at bek25@pitt.edu.