Film Review: S. Leo Chiang’s Mr. Cao Goes to Washington

Authors

Jessica Maucione, Gonzaga UniversityFollow

Abstract

S. Leo Chiang’s documentary-biopic, Mr. Cao Goes to Washington, opens in New Orleans in 2010 as Joseph Cao closes out his two years in the U.S. House of Representatives and hopes desperately but doubtfully for re-election—a situation Cao likens to “waiting to see a dentist before you get your teeth pulled out.” Part character study and part exposé of the current state of partisan politics in Congress, the film tells the story of Cao’s 2008 victory—the biggest upset of the 2008 Congressional elections—and his two years of service. During his term, Congressman Cao goes from enthu- siastic idealist to a man whose face registers the alarm of one who has mistakenly but irreversibly offered himself up to the machinations of a sadistic dentist. [Walking Iris Media, 2012. 72 minutes]

Recommended Citation

Maucione, Jessica (2013) "Film Review: S. Leo Chiang’s Mr. Cao Goes to Washington," Journal of Hate Studies: Vol. 11, Article 11.
DOI: 10.33972/jhs.98
Available at: https://repository.gonzaga.edu/jhs/vol11/iss1/11

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