PRIMARY COLORS
Release Date: March 20, 1998 Starring: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Adrian Lester, Billy Bob Thornton, Maura Tierney, Kathy Bates, Larry Hagman Directed by: Mike Nichols Distributed by: Universal Pictures MPAA Rating: R (strong language, sexual references) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/primary.htm
It's hard to imagine that a movie with a cast so powerful and a theme so poignant could fall so short of the mark. It's interesting to note that the A-list cast may be all that keeps this political drama from sinking into the murky waters of near-obscurity. There's a scene in PRIMARY COLORS where five or six grown men and women all hug each other around a plate of barbecued ribs and sing "You Are My Sunshine," and although the scene is laughable in context, nobody ever stops to think that the situation is horribly outrageous. Why? Because among the makeshift chorus are John Travolta, Emma Thompson, and Billy Bob Thornton. Those three alone have the power and tenacity on screen to turn a silly sing-along into a fantastic character-building sequence. And perhaps that's the film's best quality: the character of the cast, from the leads to the supports.
There's a somewhat-definite line drawn between the two or three lead roles and the dozens of supporting actors and actresses. The leads, Governor Jack Stanton (Travolta) and his wife Susan (Thompson), are clearly the most serious of the lot. Other main characters, like Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), Daisy Green (Maura Tierney), and Richard Jemmons (Thornton) are the buffer between the seriousness of the Stantons and the hazy stereotypes of the rest of the cast. Finally, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are the numerous two-bit roles that are written off as hilariously abnormal parts. The range of the cast knows no bounds: they are the butt of countless racist, sexist, anti-Semetic, and homophobic jokes, and they are the funniest butt you will ever see. There is no word in the English language to describe them.
But the story that all of these characters have to follow is based on a novel that is not well written. PRIMARY COLORS, the novel by Anonymous, was good as an infomercial on the business of running a Presidential campaign, but as a story its entertainment value was nil. The movie, which stays very faithful to its in-print basis, is simply the story of a virtually unknown governor from an small, unnamed Southern state who runs for President. Of course, everything the story resembles Bill Clinton's 1990-91 campaign, but that's quietly brushed off to the side as mere happenstance. While that may be the media's official line, it's hard to dismiss John Travolta's salt-and-pepper hair color or his sweet-as-molasses Southern lilt as happenstance. Emma Thompson, too, lives up to the fierce political advocate of the current First Lady, although she doesn't come as close as the book's version.
This movie is not the most powerful motion picture you will see this year. Its running time of 140 minutes is on the long end of watchable, especially when the story isn't that interesting and Director Mike Nichols does not do anything to spice it up. There is no powerful music, no skillful photography, and no well-written script. This may be a textbook example of a book's transition into film, but it is not a thoroughly entertaining film. When the only recent comparison is WAG THE DOG, which was a better product, I hesitate to say that this is a good movie. Nevertheless, it may be worth watching for curiosity alone. The bottom line is that this film's value will be based on viewer merit.
FINAL AWARD FOR "PRIMARY COLORS": 2.0 stars - a fair movie.
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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