Spinning Boris is a 2003 movie starring Jeff Goldblum, Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber. It was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. In the film, a Russian political elite hires American consultants to help with President Yeltsin's reelection campaign when his approval rating is down to single digits.
The film is based on the true story of three American political consultants, including George Gorton and Joe Shumate, who ran the successful reelection campaign of Boris Yeltsin in 1996.
Early in 1996, three Republican campaign operatives take a job in secret assisting Boris Yeltsin's reelection. Once in Moscow, they find he's polling at 6 percent with the election a few months away. While Joe Shumate wants to go home, George Gorton and Dick Dresner vote to stay. First, they must get someone's attention; they succeed finally with Yeltsin's daughter. Then it's polling, focus groups, messages and spin. Even as Yeltsin's numbers go up, the trio are unsure who hired them and whether Yeltsin's allies have a different plan in mind than election victory. When the going gets toughest, it's Gorton who puts a spin on our stake: democracy and capitalism must win. Written by
