"Game Change," the movie dramatizing the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign, airs March 10 on HBO, but its two main characters won't be watching.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) both have said they don't plan to catch the film.
"There's this new movie out," McCain told FOX Radio's Brian Kilmeade. "I won't watch it. I know it's based on a book that is totally unfair and untrue, especially to Sarah Palin. I want to repeat, if I could, my admiration and appreciation for Sarah Palin. She energized our party. I mean, let's have some straight talk - she energized more people than I did. She is a good and decent person and this continuing maligning of her by the liberal left is something that is reprehensible to me."
Palin, who is portrayed in the film by Julianne Moore, was also critical.
"I'm not going to go see the movie, neither is the good Sen. John McCain," she told Fox News. "We've discussed this and realized that Hollywood lies are Hollywood lies. They're going to do what they can to drum up their money and their machine, and their machine happens to be a very pro-leftist, pro-Barack Obama machine there at HBO that created this movie. And those campaign staffers who essentially threw John McCain under the bus, I think that they should feel some shame, and they should feel some embarrassment, because the movie is based on a false narrative, as you can see in the trailer."
Palin's PAC has released a spoof trailer mocking the film. Her former aides also spoke out, calling the movie's depiction of Palin offensive and inaccurate, according to the Associated Press:
Meg Stapleton, a former spokeswoman, said that she, unlike some of the others who worked with Palin during the campaign, had not been contacted by anyone associated with either the book or movie.
"They don't want to hear anything good," she said, her voice full of passion. "We all know Palin sells and the dramatization of Palin sells even more. This is sick."
"They mock Gov. Palin, you mock Gov. Palin, as weak and unable to cope and press forward," she told reporters on the conference call. "And the movie and the trailer ... say that. And yet look with your own eyes at what she and her family have endured and inspired over the last few years. Any lesser man would have hanged himself by now. So who's weak?
McCain and Palin's reactions to the film are the latest demonstrations of the sometimes testy relationship between real-life politicians and their Hollywood portrayals. Here's a look at a few other politicos who ended up on the silver screen:
