Overview
Charlie vs. Goliath (2017) New at the Browning
This feature-length documentary tracks an unlikely politician’s struggle to shake up the establishment. It would be hard to find a more unlikely candidate than Charlie Hardy, a 75-year-old former Catholic priest who spent nearly a decade serving the poor while living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum.
In 2011, Charlie returns to his hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and is shocked to see poverty, hunger, and homelessness. After being snubbed by his congressional representatives, Charlie decides to run for office himself in 2014 and manages to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate. His Republican opponent has a $3 million war chest and Charlie’s advisors urge him to focus his efforts on fundraising. Instead, Charlie rejects money from special interests and makes campaign finance reform a key part of his platform. The film provides an intimate portrayal of this resolute and uniquely charismatic septuagenarian while revealing an inside look at a campaign fueled by hope rather than money.
In 2011, Charlie returns to his hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and is shocked to see poverty, hunger, and homelessness. After being snubbed by his congressional representatives, Charlie decides to run for office himself in 2014 and manages to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate. His Republican opponent has a $3 million war chest and Charlie’s advisors urge him to focus his efforts on fundraising. Instead, Charlie rejects money from special interests and makes campaign finance reform a key part of his platform. The film provides an intimate portrayal of this resolute and uniquely charismatic septuagenarian while revealing an inside look at a campaign fueled by hope rather than money.
