The Republican Party of Florida is continuing its efforts to sink any Charlie Crist campaign before it can get off the docks.
The latest release from the RPOF takes on the former Republican-turned-independent-rumored-Democrat governor for his appearance with legally challenged former RPOF Chairman Jim Greer on MSNBC:
After a brief estrangement, professional political candidate Charlie Crist has apparently reforged his alliance with his hand-picked political co-star, Jim Greer, and the two are now trying to leverage it into a new, blockbuster theatrical release.
In a delicately choreographed TV teaser, the two former political co-conspirators thrilled MSNBC viewers this week in a coordinated duet, with supporting roles filled admirably by Al Sharpton and Rachael Maddow.
RPOF: Crist Greer
The teaser served as a nostalgic reminder, not only of Charlie Crist's finely-honed acting skills and his electrifying chemistry with Jim Greer, but also of the hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and record foreclosures in Florida when Crist was on the political "A-List."
In front of a camera, Charlie Crist has the ability to meld into any character -- from "Chain Gang Charlie" to sympathetic "Man of the People" -- there is seemingly no role that he can't play. And when paired with Greer, the two men are a formidable duo perfect for big-budget disaster films.
The plot of Crist's first movie co-starring Greer, titled "Shipwreck," began with Crist playing the role of the ambitious Captain Stimulus, who immediately rams his ship, the SS Florida, into an iceberg and it starts taking on water. Crist does an amazing job of channeling the tragic, deeply flawed character of Captain Stimulus in a memorable scene where, even as the SS Florida is slipping under the water, he and his ever-present First Mate, played by sidekick Greer, ignore the looming disaster to plot the takeover of a new ship steaming for Washington, D.C.
Their scheme fails miserably, and the film ends with the iconic image of Captain Stimulus and his First Mate floating away from the wreckage, Crist perched in a lifeboat, and Greer pathetically begging to come aboard. In the haunting closing shot, the cold, unmoved Captain Stimulus loosens his grip and lets his old buddy sink from view.
But despite the stellar acting, the film got mixed reviews by the press and was panned at the box office. Media reports say that Crist and Greer then had a falling out. Greer made sensational accusations about Crist, and Crist retaliated in the media, describing Greer's shocking allegations as "delusional lies."
That was then, and this is now. The paparazzi are once again dutifully reporting Crist and Greer's every utterance as though the fate of millions hangs in the balance, and the few fans of the original film are buzzing at the reunion of these two characters and the prospect of a sequel. Many questions remain unanswered about the plot of their new film, but it appears that Charlie Crist and Jim Greer have buried the hatchet and are ready to light up the silver screen together again.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
