Primary Colors
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Movie Reviews of Primary Colors
Movie Review: Savage satire is one of my favorites of 1998
Summary: 5 Stars
Somebody's not telling the truth about this movie. The studio emphasized that "Primary Colors" was not intentionally based on Bill and Hillary Clinton. The writer of the book it's based on was written by "Anonymous". The real author turned out to be Joe Klien, who works for The New Yorker Magazine. He says the book was, in fact, based on Clinton's first Presidential campaign.John Travolta and Emma Thompson play Jack and Susan Stanton. Jack is Governor of an unnamed Southern State. The couple looks a whole like Bill and Hillary, both in body language and in appearance.
When the film came out last Spring, it did fairly good business. It was viewed as a political satire, which it is. In fact, it's one of the best films of its kind in a long time. Some would mention "Wag the Dog" in the same breath as "Primary Colors". The former was certainly a fine movie, but "Colors" is witty, rambunctious, smart and, well, a whole lot like the Clintons!
I suppose it has a slightly darker feel to it now, with all the bad press and publicity Mr. Clinton has lately gotten. Before all the disclosures about Clinton's private life, the movie seemed almost innocent. Now it seems prophetic. It's as though "Primary Colors" mutated into a different form. Or could it be that, after the revelations were made about The President, the nation suffered from a case of Mass Denial?
The irony is that the character of Jack Stanton is seen as an intelligent, well intentioned man, who has a bit of a problem with his fly.
Whatever its parallels with real life, it stands on its own as a good picture. The focus is on John Travolta's character, but Thompson's Susan doesn't get off lightly either. That is because, no matter how much Stanton fools around, the couple is always united in its pursuit of power. This is made clearly evident in two scenes. In the first one, Susan is sobbing and being held by Henry [Adrian Lester], a young and affable political aide. Susan has just found out about another one of Jack's affairs, and she is furious at him and at all who kept it secret from her. The film cuts straight to the second scene, where Susan is shown as all business again, throwing herself into the campaign. This sudden shift in her moods is done on purpose to underline how nothing in this world will alter her mission.
Mike Nichols is in top directing form. He really hasn't done as many movies as people might think. He's just done some of the most famous, such as "The Birdcage", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Graduate".
Travolta and Thompson are so good that they are almost spooky. Emma Thompson is one of the great actresses of our times. While nobody paid much attention to him for many years, I think many are coming to realize that Travolta is one of our great actors.
As Richard, a brilliant but insane political ally, Billy Bob Thornton shines again. It never ceases to amaze me how much Thornton's physical appearance can change from role to role. For the record, he was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Kathy Bates threatens to steal the show at times in her dynamic turn as a political aide Stanton hires. She been in an asylum for the last fifteen years!
The script by Elaine May has some of the best dialog of any film released in this decade.
For example, Stanton checks into his motel at some campaign stop. He looks around and say, "What? No cable TV? What the [blank] were you thinking. of? You can't run for President of the Untied States without [blank] CNN!".
Mike Nichols and Elaine May were, many years ago, the top standup comedy team of their time. It's wonderful to see them reunited in this way - he directing, she writing. Still a team!
Movie Review: It's Deja Vu All Over Again....
Summary: 5 Stars
This review refers to the Widescreen DVD edition(Universal) of "Primary Colors"....
Leave it to the fabulous team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May to bring us a politcal satire that is funny,poignant and savvy. One that will have you laughing out loud as well as tug at your heartstrings.Based on the book by "Anonymous"(you won't get the name out of me), Elaine May's screenplay, and a brillant all star cast, under the expert direction of Mike Nichols will leave you wanting more.
Now stop me if this sounds familiar....Governor Jack Stanton, from the South, is running in the National Primary Elections for President. His opponents are tough and the politics are rough.He has believed in his causes for many years and has stood true to his ideals, his strong-willed wife always at his side.He is a man of the people. Okay, okay, so he has a bit of a problem when it comes to women, and oh yeah he managed to dodge the draft back in the 60's, but hey who's counting....The other side..that's who! At every turn his opponents are using this information against him, sometimes stooping to the lowest levels to make their point.(I am not mentioning any names here..but sound familiar yet?)The ultimate test of Stanton's ideals and career comes when he must decide whether to fight fire with fire or stay clear of the dirty politics. Can a politician win on his ideas alone? Find out in this absolutely engrossing ride on the campaign trail.
The cast doesn't get any better. John Travolta leads this terrific ensemble as go-getter Gov.Stanton. Emma Thompson, as always turns in a fine performance in her role as the chomping-at-the bit to be first lady,wife of the Governor. Billy Bob Thornton, Maury Tierney, Paul Guilfoyle, and Larry Hagman all add their special charms.Kathy Bates will steal your heart and Adrian Lester is marvelous as the fresh new idealistic member of the campaign team, who sees Stanton as the man who would be Kennedy.The wonderful music by Ry Cooder and great photography by Michael Ballhaus complete this fabulous film.
The anamorphic widescreen(2.35:1)picture of this DVD is outstanding. It is clear and bright with vivid colors.The sound in DD5.1 surround was well spaced. The background sounds, the music and the dialouge all nicely intergrated. There are cast and filmaker bios,and a theatrical trailer. The DVD includes captions in English, subtitles in Spanish and may be viewed in French(5.1) as well.
A political satire that will touch you and make you smile. Also makes a nice companion to Wag the Dog (New Line Platinum Series), another political satire that may make you say "It's deja vu all over again"...
go for it...and enjoy....Laurie
Movie Review: A film that should be re-released theatrically
Summary: 5 Stars
In the wake of the disastrous _Battlefield Earth_, it's good to remember that John Travolta can, indeed, act. No better proof of his abilities exists than _Primary Colors_. Strangely unnoticed theatrically, this film has surfaced more successfully on the home video market.That's because it's a brilliant film, with acting and scripting that should've won Oscars (R). By turns comic and tragic, _Primary Colors_ is not the simple indictment of the Clinton presidency that its previews might portray. No, the film creates whole characters and leaves its audience with much to think about. Each major character's point of view is given ample screen time, so that the audience has a multitude of morals to choose from.
Indeed there are compelling characters throughout. Not only is Travolta's Jack Stanton fully realized, Adrian Lester's portrayal of the politically naive campaign manager, Henry Burton, is at least as complex. In some ways the moral voice of the film, he can come no closer to indicting Stanton than Stanton can come to being unlikable. Larry Hagman's brilliant portrayal of Governor Fred Pucker is easily the actor's best work: we see him alternate between (probably) genuine compassion to despair and ultimately to redemption. Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates both turn in commanding performances of two campaign staffers who operate with similar style but who have hearts made of different stuff. We get to see them wrestle with the ambiguities of politics and come away with very different solutions. Strangely, if there is any character who shows a consistent, almost driven, image, it's Emma Thompson's Susan Stanton. She of all the principal players seems most unchanged throughout the events of the movie-and there's a lesson in that as well.
Great characters notwithstanding, though, what makes the film great, as opposed to merely good, is that its insightful political commentary is wrapped in frequently uproarious humor. The scene in which the campaign management team has to meet with Mrs. Stanton to explain the political disadvantages of her husband's infidelity is especially noteworthy-but so are Stanton's trips to the countryside barbecue joint, Richard Jemmons' good-ole boy attempts at sexual harassment, and Libby Holden's persuasive abilities.
If anything disappoints about this DVD it is the lack of any significant additional features. A director's commentary would've been especially welcome here, as the efforts to get this film to theatres must've been interesting enough for a few words.
Movie Review: Scathing, honest look at American politics
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, reading some of the reviews here, many viewers have missed the point of this movie. This movie does not make the "Cllinton-esque" character out to be a hero. Very much the opposite. Anybody remember Libby's "Test" that the Stantons failed? The movie isn't leftist and it wasn't produced by the infamous "right wing." And it doesn't judge one politician, per say, but politics in general---better ideas and good intentions don't matter in an election. It's all about image and winning, and doing whatever it takes to nab a seat in Washington, sacrificing morality. And the American people get a swipe too, from this film. The coffee house scene, when the Stantons are discussing their political future on TV, the people's reaction: "Her hair needs to be longer." "He needs to lose weight."
But enough about the bigger picture. This movie is hilarious, even more so b/c it's true. Kathy Bates' performance alone is worth the price of this movie. How she gets the tabloid reporter to write a retraction is hysterical. "I am a gay lesbian woman, I do not hold the mythology of the male organ!" Travolta and Thompson are simply magnificent. When we first meet them, they are a likeable couple, and Stanton is seen as a brilliant politician, connecting with people. (Even if the connection is false showmanship.) As the film progresses, we see the moral decline, as their lust for greed and power take over. Emma Thompson is fantastic as the driven, power hungry wife who gets a cold, stone heart by the end of the election.
I know this makes it sound like a serious film. And in many ways, it is. But it's also funny, in the same vein as Mark Twain's later novels--entertaining, yet full of cynical observations that are always true. Why this was a box office flop is beyond me. But maybe it went over people's heads. Judging by many reviews on here and in other news sources, I think a lot of people missed the point. Which just makes the ending of this film all the more sad.
Movie Review: Really Fine!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Primary Colors" is a genuinely hard-luck movie. Distributed when the real-life giant scandals of the Clinton presidency were at their height, customers were not in a mood for a cutting edge comedy on quasi-fictional smaller scandals concerning the same players. It's a shame! The movie has a superb cast, deft timing, packs a wallop, and teases the audience into some thoughtful moments.John Travolta shines as the exuberant, larger-than-life, shrewd and sentimental presidential candidate, Jack Stanton. He is a man with over-sized appetites whether it is chitlins or chicks, and rallies or righteousness. Emma Thompson is properly steely in her resolve, but shows her aching vulnerability to Jack's massive infidelity. Billy Bob Thornton was made for the role a down-home vulgar cracker sidekick. He can cry over his mama one minute and be ruthlessly savage the next. Then there is Kathy Bates. I think it is an axiom of show biz to never co-star with a kid or a dog because they will upstage you every time. To kids and dogs, add Kathy Bates. When she blows into the movie as a wisecracking, politically savvy and highly neurotic idealist; everything else fades into the background.
This is one of the great movies of the decade. Everything about it is first class from the brilliant direction of Mike Nichols ably assisted by his old sidekick Elaine Mayes to the carefully placed cameo roles of Larry Hagman and Rob Reiner. Add this one to your DVD library.
-sweetmolly-