Themes: Labor Unions, Fighting the System, Social Injustice
Main Cast: James P. Hoffa, John Murphy, Hope Hampleman, Mike Ferriolo, Joe Reeves
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
Kristi Jacobson's American Standoff gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at a modern labor strike. The tale of three Teamsters and how their lives are affected by the union's strike against Overnite Transportation make up the dramatic heart of this film, which was produced by acclaimed documentarian Barbara Kopple who has always shown a sharp eye for recording the day-to-day existence of working people (Harlan County, USA, American Dream). A comparison of former Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa and his son, the current Teamster leader, James P. Hoffa round out this film that was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Review
American Standoff inevitably draws comparison with Harlan County, USA and American Dream, filmmaker Barbara Kopple's two Oscar-winning documentaries on labor strife. Though Kopple directed the first two films and "only" produced this one, the three do form a trilogy. Harlan County, released in the mid-'70s, when the labor movement was beginning to lose momentum, harkens back to the days when the showdowns between labor and management were viewed as a struggle by overworked and underpaid workers to gain some measure of dignity and fair compensation. Its united union representing blue-collar workers in a dangerous occupation (coal mining) squares off against a greedy company with few scruples about exploiting its employees. In American Dream, released in 1990, many of the workers are women and the setting is a meat-packing plant, but the lines of conflict are blurred, as the workers find themselves fighting their company and union, which is fractured over a strike. American Standoff recognizes two facts at the very outset: that the labor movement in America has been in steep decline for decades, and that the union which is the focus here, the Teamsters, is the most potent symbol of that decline. The film tells two parallel stories: the strike by truck drivers for the Overnite firm and the challenge to the Teamsters leadership of James P. Hoffa, son of legendary Teamsters' boss James R. Hoffa. The film does better with the first story line, using the travails of three drivers -- Joe Reeves, Hope Hampleman, and Mike Ferriolo -- to illustrate the determination of hardcore union members to stand up to their company. "This not a strike about paychecks; this is a strike about unions," says one worker, suggesting that the American workplace has reverted back to a time when unions were first trying to get established. The filmmakers are clearly in sympathy with the workers and their union, even as they acknowledge the Teamsters' unsavory past. Allowed to stand is the younger Hoffa's assertion that his father was murdered by the Mob because he wanted to clean up the union. But not enough screen time is devoted to the splinter group, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, so it's difficult to judge if their attacks on Hoffa's leadership have any validity. If the film falls a bit short of effectively covering all its bases, it's still a powerful portrait of the lives of working men and women caught between the appealing ideals of a union and the harsh realities of a cutthroat business world which has divided and in many ways conquered the labor force. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Cast
James P. Hoffa
John Murphy
Hope Hampleman
Mike Ferriolo
Joe Reeves
Jim Richards
Credit
Mary Ellen Woods - Associate Producer, Susan Ryan - Consultant/advisor, Kristi Jacobson - Director, Bob Eisenhardt - Editor, Sheila Nevins - Executive Producer, Joel Goodman - Composer (Music Score), Kirsten Johnson - Cinematographer, Kristi Jacobson - Cinematographer, Bob Maraist - Cinematographer, Tom Kaufman - Cinematographer, Barbara Kopple - Producer, Ken Hahn - Sound Mixer, Trisha Boyd - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve Guercio - Sound/Sound Designer, John Bowen - Sound Editor, Julie Anderson - Supervisor/Manager, Amy Shatsky-Gambrill - Supervisor/Manager, Tania McKeown - Executive in Charge of Production
American Standoff is an American 2002 documentary film by Kristi Jacobson which documents much of a strike by the Teamsters against a package delivery company, Overnite Transportation (now a subsidiary of United Parcel Service). The film follows the strike from early 2000 to mid-2001.
The Teamsters' strike against Overnite began on October 24, 1999. James P. Hoffa had been elected president of the Teamsters in the fall of 1998, and had campaigned on a promise to unionize Overnite and securing a contract for its 13,000 workers. The Teamsters represented only a fraction of Overnite's workers, but believed they could used other means to win company recognition of the union. Initially, about 2,000 workers walked the picket line in 12 states. The strike turned violent, however, and both sides accused the other of bribery, spying, intimidation and more. By August 2002, only 300 to 600 workers remained on strike. The Teamsters called the strike off without securing a contract or union recognition.[1]
American Standoff focuses primarily on two Teamster members and a staff organizer and how they are affected by the strike. However, the film roves over the entire United States, visiting Memphis, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, and Las Vegas.
The strike is placed in the context of Hoffa's struggle to secure his political base within the Teamsters' union. Hoffa not only faced political attacks from union reformers but also from other union leaders who believed they could unseat the newly-elected president in the 2002 election.[2] The internecine struggle for power in the Teamsters limits the effectiveness of the union's response, although Hoffa appears to emerge stengthened.[3]
The film concludes in mid-2001, with the strike still lingering, workers increasingly disenchanted, and the union struggling to find an acceptable exit strategy.
Critical reception
American Standoff was financed in part by HBO. The cable network aired the documentary on June 10, 2002, on its "America Undercover" series. Sheila Nevins of HBO took an executive producer credit on the film.[4][5] The documentary also screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.[4]
Critical reviews of the film were qualified, but generally strong. Variety's review was typical:
"Standoff," produced by two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple and directed by protegee Kristi Jacobson, lacks the extraordinary clarity of Kopple's 1991 "American Dream." But pic still packs an emotional wallop, dwelling effectively on the pain and confusion of strike organizers as they run out of options.[5]
References
^ Greenhouse, "Teamsters End 3-Year Strike Against Trucker Without Contract," New York Times, October 26, 2002.
^ Greenhouse, "Bitter 6-Month Strike at Overnite Poses a Test for Teamsters' Chief," New York Times, May 7, 2000.
^ Ross, "INTERVIEW: Behind The Strike Lines: 'American Standoff' Director Kristi Jacobson Chronicles the Teamsters," IndieWire, June 7, 2002.
^ ab Pinsker, "Cash, With Strings, for Documentaries," New York Times, January 14, 2002.
^ ab Scheib, "American Standoff (movie review)," Variety, May 21, 2002.
References
Greenhouse, Steven. "Bitter 6-Month Strike at Overnite Poses a Test for Teamsters' Chief." New York Times. May 7, 2000.
Greenhouse, Steven. "Teamsters End 3-Year Strike Against Trucker Without Contract." New York Times. October 26, 2002.
Pinsker, Beth. "Cash, With Strings, for Documentaries." New York Times. January 14, 2002.
Rosen, Jody. "A Pal to Stars, Mobsters and Other Crumb Bums." New York Times. September 17, 2007.
