Primary Colors
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adrian Lester, Billy Bob Thornton, Emma Thompson, John Travolta, Kathy BatesBrand: TRAVOLTA,JOHN
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 143 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-09-09
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Product features:
- TESTED
Movie Reviews of Primary Colors
Movie Review: Brilliantly on the mark!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my favorite film for the year 1998, when it came out. Of course, the timing of the release of this film couldn't have been worse, right in the midst of the whole Monica scandal. Now that we're half-way into the presidency of his successor, this film is worth taking a look if you haven't seen it yet.
In February 1996, the novel "Primary Colors" was the favorite parlor game of the year, as the hype surrounded just who "Anonymous" was and who the characters represent in real life. A lot of speculation surrounded George Stephanopoulos as the anonymous writer, since this novel is written from his perspective on Governor Clinton's 1992 campaign, but the cover was exposed about a year later, when some sleuthing revealed that a writer for Time Magazine (or was it Newsweek?), Joe Klein, had bought a pricey new home with undisclosed money that could only come from writing this novel. If anyone wants to see the effect of hype by use of "Anonymous"...compare the sensation "Primary Colors" caused in 1992, versus the disappearing act of the follow-up "The Running Mate" which was published under Joe Klein's name.
I loved the novel and couldn't wait to see the film version. I was there on opening day and it was every bit as great as the novel. The performances by John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and especially Kathy Bates are right on target. Its no secret that Travolta plays a charicature of President Bill Clinton who loves southern fried food and has a wandering eye for the ladies (Allison Janey in a pre-West Wing role as a flighty, fidgety librarian who falls under Governor Stanton's charm is a hoot to watch). He even mimicks Clinton's voice, though not nearly as good as Darrell Hammond does on "Saturday Night Live". Emma Thompson plays the serious half of the political couple, who's prone to throwing things at her husband's head, which he takes without retaliation. Its an interesting look at a political couple and how they perfectly complement each other. However, this film belongs hands down to Kathy Bates, as the no-nonsense, tough lady sent in to clean up the garbage. Her expressions and mannerisms are amusing to watch itself, with creative language that leave no mistake about her intentions. Kathy Bates owns this picture and by all rights should have won the Best Supporting Actress that year in this most memorable role. Billy Bob Thornton is also good in this film as the wise cracking "James Carville" character.
The film does stretch on a bit too long for those who aren't inclined to politics, as Libby (Kathy Bates) and Henry go to Miami to investigate allegations about a rival candidate that could take him out of contention for the Democratic nomination. Its the culmination of the plot and puts the two idealists to the test as to whether the candidate of their choice will live up to a promise made twenty years earlier in their youthful idealistic days. Its a lesson learned in practical politics and what it takes to win the top prize in this country.
Just how truthful are some of these controversies to the real Bill Clinton? Its nice to speculate, but in the end, this film is meant to be a fictional portrayal of a candidate in our political process, not a parody per se. Things are not always as they seem, no one is completely 100% moral like we want them to be (or ourselves think we are). We can only appreciate the give and take, finding what's most important and supporting that. This film is worth seeing if you haven't seen it yet, or worth revisiting outside of the crazy Monica-obsessed year that 1998 was. Look at it for what it is...a cautionary tale about what's fair game in politics, where supposedly "all's fair" (like in love and war).
Summary of Primary Colors
DCDBased on the novel by Anonymous (a.k.a. political reporter Joe Klein) and released when the Monica Lewinsky scandal was in full swing, Primary Colors may have been a case of too much, too soon for many moviegoers, who preferred the real-life Clinton crisis over the movie's thinly disguised "Clintonesque" comedy. The general public felt that the film was exploiting the president's indiscretions, and as a result one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 1998 was a box-office disappointment. But when considered apart from the Clinton scandals and judged on its own considerable merits, this superb comedy-drama provides an illuminating, insightful, and frequently hilarious look at the harsh realities of presidential politics. John Travolta stars as Jack Stanton, a presidential hopeful whose campaign is challenged by dual dilemmas: how to squelch a scandal involving the candidate's alleged sex with an underage girl, and how to handle information that could potentially ruin Stanton's opponent (superbly played by Larry Hagman). Stanton's wife (Emma Thompson) stands by her man despite awareness of his infidelities, but his loyal campaign planners (played by Billy Bob Thornton, Maura Tierney, and promising newcomer Adrian Lester) experience a crisis of conscience. So does one of the Stantons' oldest friends (Kathy Bates, in an Oscar-nominated role), whose sense of betrayal and lost idealism proves too much to bear. Masterfully adapted by director Mike Nichols and his former-comedy-partner-turned-screenwriter, Elaine May, Primary Colors plays like a sophisticated comedy with loads of memorable scenes and dialogue, but it sneaks up on you with devastating dramatic impact. Anchored by Travolta's superb performance (which is reminiscent of Clinton without being a cheap impersonation), the movie presents a story of great moral complexity and leaves viewers to contemplate their own reactions to the volatile and ethically complicated game of modern politics. --Jeff Shannon
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