Servant of the People: A dusty history lesson that doesn't quite come alive

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a very specific interest in the minutiae of 18th-century political squabbles. If you go in looking for drama or, heaven forbid, any kind of cinematic flair, you're going to be bored to tears. History buffs might find it quaint, but anyone looking for an actual story will probably want to turn it off after ten minutes.

It feels a lot like those educational shorts you were forced to watch in middle school when the teacher was too tired to put on a lecture. You know the ones. The audio has that slight metallic buzz to it, and everyone is speaking with this weird, formal theatricality that nobody actually used in real life.

The vibe is... very static.

The whole thing takes place in these claustrophobic, dark rooms. You can almost smell the mothballs on the costumes. It’s not necessarily bad, just incredibly dry. There’s no attempt to make these people feel like actual human beings. They are just conduits for arguments about state rights and legislative power. It’s all very stiff.

I found myself staring at the background furniture more than the actors. The way the light hits the wooden desks makes them look like cardboard props, which, let's be honest, they probably are. One of the guys—I think it was playing Franklin—has this wig that seems to be fighting for its life against his forehead. It's distracting.

A strange sort of pacing

The arguments move along with all the grace of a brick. They trade lines like they’re reading off a grocery list. "I agree with the gentleman from Virginia!" followed by ten seconds of nodding. It’s not acting; it’s recitation.

It makes me miss the weird, frantic energy of something like What -- No Spinach? at least that had a pulse. This movie is so afraid of being inaccurate that it forgets to be interesting. It’s the cinematic equivalent of eating dry toast.

• The lighting is perpetually dim, like they were running out of bulbs.
• Nobody ever seems to sweat, even though they’re supposed to be in a humid Philly summer.
• The ending is just… a fade-out. No fanfare. Just done.

I’m not saying it’s a disaster. It does what it says on the tin. But don't expect to feel moved by the gravity of the moment. You'll just feel like you've sat through a very long, very beige meeting about bylaws. Maybe stick to The March of Time, Vol. 3, No. 3 if you want your history with a bit more of a kick.