Clinton...err, Stanton, flies his colors
Primary Colors A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
*** (out of ****)
There's a popular maxim that the American public gets exactly the politicians that it deserves. It's difficult to judge the truth of that because the masses never really see these men and women, only their public faces. The demand that they live the life of saints has created a situation where everyone in office must lie in order to remain there.
The film from the novel by (no longer) "Anonymous" (former "Newsweek" writer Joe Klein) follows the presidential primary campaign of Jack Stanton (John Travolta), a very thinly disguised Bill Clinton. Although the book is loosely based on Clinton's 1992 campaign, it would be a mistake to take it as truth. Some events are drawn from reality; others are completely fictional.
Told from the point of view of Henry (a darker George Stephanopoulos) Burton (Adrian Lester), the story is one of difficult decisions. Burton is an idealistic young black man drafted into the position of campaign manager for the southern governor. At first he is excited about working for a man who matches his vision. After a series of scandals, he has to re-think his position and determine how much he is willing to bend to get his candidate elected.
Charismatic Stanton has a thing for the ladies. He's shown bedding down the head of a teacher's union, accused of fathering the child of a teenage girl and is the subject of a Gennifer Flowers lookalike's tabloid tale. Although potentially a fatal flaw for a politician, his uncontrolled libido is not the moral dilemma at the core of the film.
Is it justifiable for a politician to tell something different from the truth? What is the high ground in terms of dealing with damaging personal dirt about your opponent? These are the major issues at stake.
Stanton genuinely cares about the common man. In a scene reminiscent of Edward Hopper's painting "Nighthawks", he sits in a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in the middle of the night listening to the lone employee explain how he has to work impossibly long hours just to make ends meet. To demonstrate his concern and get elected, the would-be president fabricates stories about his past during speeches. They could have been true, they just aren't.
When campaign investigator Libby Holden (Kathy Bates), a stand-in for real life Betsy Wright, comes up with information that would sink his opponent there is the question about what to do with it. Stanton has refused to "go negative" previously, but this material would guarantee his victory.
Is Stanton God or Satan? It turns out, like politicians in the real world, he's neither. Admirably the film doesn't provide easy answers, but we do see that idealism and politics are not good bedfellows...although other campaign workers might be.
That politicians and their staff are human beings might come as a surprise to many people. The media and the public tend to see them as symbols and forget that there's flesh and blood there. If a friend has an extra-marital affair, it's unfortunate, Maybe the couple can work things out and if not, well, it happens every day. If the President of the United States does the same thing, there's moral outrage. In "Primary Colors", the characters are people: sometimes noble and certainly flawed.
Remembering my experiences as a minor staffer during a congressional race years ago, the behind the scenes look feels realistic. Nothing is as organized and unified as it appears from the outside. The intense feelings and abrupt coming and going of staff members seem about right. It's not a shock when co-workers end up in bed together.
Director Mike Nichols ("The Graduate", "The Birdcage") has a remarkable cast here. Billy Bob Thornton who has burst on the cinema scene like a house afire during the past year plays self-proclaimed redneck spin doctor Henry Burton Jemmons (or maybe it's James Carville). Emma Thompson is Stanton's wife Hilary -- err, Susan. Florida governor Fred Picker (possibly inspired by Jerry Brown) is portrayed by Larry Hagman who has turned out to be quite the talent after his mundane years on television.
Travolta is outstanding as the good ol' boy with an apple fritter in one hand, a greasy chicken leg in the other and always talking the talk. Gnawing on a rib held in his hands, you can tell that he's filled with a gusto for being alive. That zest is what gets him into trouble, but it's also what gets him elected. Travolta is one of those actors with such a presence that sometimes he's "John Travolta" rather than the character. It's a testament to his skills that just minutes after the film starts, you forget the actor and see Jack Stanton.
The real standout is Bates. Her inspired off-the-wall (judged safe for the campaign because, after all, she's been out of the mental institution for months) pistol-toting lesbian has a fire in her belly for truth and justice. She dominates every scene she's in. Her sexual persuasion is handled well in a matter of fact manner. When Burton discovers the actual relationship with her beautiful "assistant" (Stacy Edwards), it gets no more than a raised eyebrow.
Although you can look for Academy Awards acting nominations next spring, there are odd moments. When the bigger than life Travolta, Thornton or Bates is on-screen with some of the lesser-skilled others, the contrast is sometimes jarring. Lester's adequate performance appears flat when compared.
Clinton's popularity seemingly results from his persona as a real person. This might mark a turning point in America's future. Politicians as human beings? Who would have thunk it?
"Michael Redman's thoughtful analysis of the Oscars Presentation" Only in Hollywood could they take such a lively art form and turn it into such a boring non-event. It was the "Anti-Titanic".
(Michael Redman has written this column for 23 years and it might be that long again before he watches another awards show.)
[This appeared in the 3/26/98 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at redman@bvoice.com)
-- mailto:redman@bvoice.com This week's film review at http://www.bvoice.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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