Primary Colors

Plot synopsis:
Well acted drama, adapted from a novel by Joe Klein; has a terrific first half and then falters horribly in the final half hour- almost completely killing the entire movie. Travolta is dead-on as southern Governor Jack Stanton (a thinly veiled charicature of Bill Clinton), who is running for President. The film is shown from the perspective of a young, African-American man named Henry Burton, who is Stantons campaign manager. Through his eyes we spend intimate moments with the candidate, his wife and family and the various people working on his campaign. We also meet the other contenders for the office and get a rare inside glimpse of politics at work, which can be a ruthless and conniving game. Its fascinating material and the film hits the ground running, using a mostly good natured, humorous approach. The campaign must deal with the various and not unusual attacks by the opponents and must constantly dream up new strategies and schemes. Billy Bob Thornton is the man in charge of that department and he is all aces as Richard Jemmons, a ruthless, foul mouthed PR man. When even he cant refute some of the attacks on Stantons character (like an alleged affair with a hairdresser), Mrs. Stanton turns to Libby Holden (a terrific Kathy Bates). Libbys a quirky and unstable (shes been recently released from a mental hospital) defender of the Governor; whos reckless tactics actually get results. But she has a strict moral code that none of the others operate by. She will only go so far- and while she will defend attacks from other candidates she refuses to dig up dirt to attack another candidate first. It turns out that Governor Stanton is a genius player of the political game but also a tremendous philanderer who just may have had an affair with a 17 year old African-American girl and gotten her pregnant. Through some slick manipulation, he is able to disprove this. Then one of his opponents suffers a paralyzing series of heart attacks and is out of the race only to be replaced by a seemingly impeccable do-gooder. It turns out that he has a past history of drug abuse and homosexuality. The breaking of this news could seal the deal for Stanton but Libby is adament that he not go through with it. This is where the film breaks down, in a show of heavy handed moralizing and then a melodrmatic suicide that throws everything off course. The film has an open ending, never telling us flat out that Stanton wins and goes on to become President of the United States but the answer isnt difficult to surmise. This really is a good movie, enriched with great performances from a terrific cast and plenty of inspired moments of wit and outrageousness. It also has some heartening moments, as well and these are a constant reminder of how and why Bill Clinton got elected in the first place. Nichols does a fine job of directing and Elaine May does a pretty faithful adaptation of Kleins novel. Though his story is fictional, it is really a thinly disguised look at the 1992 Presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. Klein worked for Newsweek as a reporter and columnist during the 1992 Presidential election and also followed Clinton on the road and got to see a lot of things first hand. Youll see them in the movie and although most of it isnt that shocking, if you think about it, some of it really is- or at least, should be. This film does make you think and it raises some pretty frightening conclusions. After all that we do see going on, imagine what we dont see behind the scenes and probably never will. All of the wheeling and dealing and manipulation that is politics, as usual. Fascinating, even though not entirely successful.

Tags: satire, atmospheric

Review:
"Primary Colors" was definitely better than I thought it would be.First, there was Elaine May's script: Funny, well-written, lean, tender at moments, never taking things to the camp level, like so many modern Hollywood movies do when it doesn't work.
Bates was riveting and harrowing as the faded liberal clinging to her ideals.But in addition to the "name actors" there were others who were fantastic: Adrian Lester, as the tortured campaign aide, wants to believe but feels unsure of Stanton's worth as a candidate.
I was not surprised to learn that the Michael Ballhaus, the cinematographer, also filmed the sumptuous "Age of Innocence." Quality tells.Mike Nichols's directing was also effective: in one especially harrowing scene, Emma Thompson's tormented face fills up the foreground, while Bates's character (in the background) rips into the Stantons' morals.
I don't think "Primary Colors" will change anyone's opinion of the Clintons (in the final analysis, it isn't about them at all) -- but it is a very funny as well as thought-provoking look at modern American politics..
The much under-rated Primary Colors represents the zenith of its genre: a consistently excellent political satire armed with a stellar cast, an involving, intricate plot, and some of the finest direction in recent times from the sporadic (yet always reliable) Mike Nichols.
John Travolta's portrayal of a Clinton-esquire Southern governor with a weakness for women and doughnuts is note perfect, encapsulating the flawed yet undoubtedly brilliant Jack Stanton with effortless flair and charisma.
Travolta is ably supported by English character actors Emma Thompson and big screen debutant Adrian Lester, as well as an Oscar nominated Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thornton and a resurgent Larry Hagman.The film is, in essence, a chronology of Stanton's rise of the political ladder and the struggles encountered by his vibrant team in keeping their man in the race, despite numerous setbacks and tragedies along the way.
Also, the scandals Travolta suffers in the film, such as adulterous affairs and having children out of wedlock, also plagued Clinton during his presidency.Whoever you believe, Primary Colors is a very enjoyable film, even if you don't like political movies.
This film, based on Clinton's 1990 campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination, is a fictionalized, not factual, view of the man and his character and ideals, and quite simply one of the best films ever made about the confusing maze that is American politics.Just as the American media, spurred on by the Republican witch-hunters, rubbed our noses in the dirt surrounding Clinton's indiscretions, the movie doesn't spare Jack Stanton for his moral weaknesses and poor personal judgements, but makes the point that the dirt grubbing and trivializing media are equally immoral in seeking to denigrate a man's political ideals because of his sexual peccadillos.
The point made here, from the testimony of the battle-scarred "true Believers", from the idealistic young party aides, from the would-be President's wife (an uncanny portrayal of Hillary by a dynamic Emma Thompson) and Stanton himself (although physically unlike Bill Clinton, John Travolta gives a very believable performance), is that the President needs to be a man of the people, to be able to understand the people, and to be able to communicate with the people, despite the lies of his opponents and the mud slinging of the media.
I think Kathy Bates also deserves all the praise she's been getting, and Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Maura Tierney are also good.Travolta was a problem.
John Travolta gives a great performance as Jack Stanton, a character in which the parallels between him and former US president, Bill Clinton are obvious and almost certainly deliberate, which explains the sex scandal element of the movie.
The campaign is seen through the eyes of a young campaign manager; Henry Burton, a man with ideals and a man that believes Jack Stanton is the 'real thing', and America's best presidential candidate since John F.
The film is a satire on the world of politics from the director of The Graduate; Mike Nichols, and it works very well.One of the best things about this movie is its script.
The script does, however, become a little over the top at times, and it feels like extra bits are being added in to make the it seem like more is going on, and I feel that the movie would be more efficient if the script has been trimmed a little; but it's a small criticism, and the movie runs smoothly enough.Aside from John Travolta, who gives one of the best performances of his career in this movie, the rest of the cast is good too, and includes performances from Emma Thompson, who makes a great leading lady as Susan Stanton, Kathy Bates; who is gratuitously over the top in her usual electric style, as well as Adrian Lester, an English man that is without doubt the most 'American' character in the movie, and finally; Maura Tierney, who was in the background for a lot of the film but still managed to make an impression as one of the campaign helpers.
She's not bad looking either, which is a bonus.Overall, Primary Colours is as good as political satires get; it has everything, from the parallels to real life, to a sharp script, to a great cast and the whole piece comes together nicely as a biting satire on the USA's electoral system..
Story of this movie is about Governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta), who is running for president.
Everything that happens in the movie is seen through the eyes of each character and specially through the eyes of young Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), a grandson of a black civil rights leader and Stanton's campaign leader.
With Henry in Stanton's team there are also his wife Susan (Emma Thompson), Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), Daisy Green (Maura Tierney) and Libby Holden (Kathy Bates), who defends president candidates by stopping the attacks from all comers and also digging out the past of major opponents.
Travolta is great with that accent, Kathy Bates is always superb, just like Emma Thompson and Billy Bob Thornton.
Such was the case with "Primary Colors." Based on the 1996 novel written by Joe Klein that fictionalized the growing pains of Bill Clinton's run for the Democratic presidential nomination four years before, the movie stars John Travolta as Gov. Jack Stanton, a compulsive eater and sleeper-around, and his long-suffering, highly ambitious wife, Susan, played by Emma Thompson.As seen through the eyes of idealistic campaign worker Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), Stanton falls from one boiling pot to another, from taped conversations with a bimbo who is clearly based on Gennifer Flowers to other scandals with less obvious a Clintonesque parallel, especially one involving the underage daughter of Stanton's favorite barbecue chef.
For Stanton, winning the nomination is everything, and Burton finds himself struggling to keep his head up over the sludge.While the performances range from pretty good (Lester, Thompson, Kathy Bates as a "dustbusting" lesbian working damage control on Stanton's character miscues) to fair (Travolta imitating Phil Hartman imitating Clinton, though giving good presence) to flat-out lost in the editing room (Maura Tierney and Billy Bob Thornton, solid as campaign officials until suddenly pulling Houdinis in the final third), the real problem is the script.
If I were to define cinematic idempotency- a movie that makes absolutely no impression on the viewer- I guess I would use "Primary Colors" to do so.The film's meant to be a satire of presidential politics and yet it so closely shadows actual events that what happens is never exciting, arousing, or new.
I thought this film suffered from a lack of direction- it just seemed to wander along from scene to scene right from the beginning, where there was no apparent introduction to any of the characters.I thought Travolta would have given a better performance if he hadn't tried so much to do a blatant impression of Clinton, and had instead just got on with acting.
John Travolta plays the Clinton-like Gov. Jack Stanton.Then arises the problem.
A group of sympathetic, feeling, three-dimensional, dynamic, snappy, damn intelligent people, yet all the same weak and vulnerable, portrayed by some of the finest character actors working today, form teams in the presidential campaign, and politics in America, as the film qickly shows, are naturally based on tearing flesh when it comes to elections.
As the face of the audience, he is very subtle and wholly convincing as Travolta's campaign manager.Kathy Bates and Larry Hagman turn in the 2 most interesting performances in this film, especially Mr. Hagman.This is not a comedy, which I think some people believe it might be.
But with a first 30 minutes like that to keep looking back on, I don't think I'll ever sum up the stamina to see the whole film through.From what I saw here is what I think of the main points of the movie:JOHN TRAVOLTA - OK EMMA THOMSON - sorry, couldn't stop thinking of period dramas (especially Pride and Prejudice) OTHER CHARACTERS - pretty boring STORY - what?
The movie contained some great performances, particularly Kathy Bates and Emma Thompson's - and if it wasn't about Bill Clinton, then John Travolta's characterisation was the most amazing coincidence.
This is a really brilliantly written political story, with some awesome performances from actors at the top of their game: Thornton, Travolta, Thompson, Bates, and who the hell would have expected this -- Larry Hagman does a superb job as the reluctant sudden-death replacement for the opponent to the Dem hero candidate of the film, Jack Stanton (Travolta.)    However, I just saw an interview with Steven Spielberg in which he said something brilliant: if you want to get a sense of the nuts and bolts of great filmmaking, turn the sound off.
John Travolta is excellent (in one of his best roles to date) as Jack Stanton, a Southern senator who has a eye for the ladies but is also a man of the people (kinda like a man in the executive office we all have known since 1992).
We see his odyssey in becoming president, along with his advisors (Billy Bob Thornton, Maura Tierny and Adrian Lester), his wife (Emma Thompson who is also like a woman who is the wife of this man in the executive office and now running for senate) and his confidence (Kathy Bates who is brilliant in this role).
Still, Travolta, Thornton, Bates, and Thompson, do pretty good jobs in acting out their respective roles, but nothing worthy of Oscar nominations.
But, as the indictments, depositions and trials drag on, 'Primary Colors' provides welcome relief, revealing itself to be that rare thing, a contemporary drama that takes politics seriously.(It's more of a tragicomedy, actually, a portrait of what people will do for power and victory, and how deeply flawed and full of promise the election process, and politics in general, can be.)The cast is uniformly fine; Kathy Bates and Billy Bob Thornton do the most with the juiciest roles in the script.
Emma Thompson is convincing, if somewhat underutilized, and Travolta does a credible Clinton- though I think the movie would have been even stronger had the Stanton character been a little more skewed from its oh-so-obvious model, and had more glimpses of Stanton the man, not only the politician, been shown.
Over 20 years before a film like Primary Colors could even be conceived, a young Italian heart-throb was breaking box office records with a film which defined the Disco era: the film was Saturday Night Fever, and the movie star was John Travolta.
Travolta went from movie star to actor, and Primary Colors is no question Travolta's best effort.Rather than playing a New York street-smart and club hustler, Travolta dons the garb of a cheeky Midwestern politician, Jack Stanton, a Midwest governor who rings a helluva lot like Bill Clinton.
Travolta is an actor who seems constantly to be re-inventing himself, particularly since "Pulp Fiction" took his career in a new direction, and Stanton is one of his best performances, clearly based upon Clinton but different enough to emerge as a character in his own right.
Special mentions must also go to Emma Thompson's long-suffering Susan, Billy Bob Thornton's Jemmons, a hard-bitten, cynical practitioner of Realpolitik, and, above all, Kathy Bates as Libby, another Stanton aide.
Just don't do anything rash to yourimage!!That's the moral lesson Gov. Jack Stanton (John Travolta, in aClintonesque tailor-made role) should have learned in thepolitical satire flick, "Primary Colors." Stanton, along withhis wife, Susan (Emma Thompson) and his associates Henry andRichard (Adrian Lester and Billy Bob Thornton) try their verybest to put Jack on the finish line of the presidential race.Along the way, Jack falls prey to different image-damagingincidents, such as sex scandals.
This is a very good political film, I learned a bit about the Election process in America, but more importantly the film kept me interested throughout, and John Travolta is cool, Kathy Bates was a nice surprise because I didn't know she was in it,  her performance was excellent.
travolta is really good,thompson is good,bates is good,thornton is good,and funny,but adrian lester had the best performance to me.
Stanton and his team of loyal campaign workers must confront several difficulties including a sex scandal, tough opponents, and gaining the trust of the people.Primary Colors is a funny and interesting film, and it is also a very good one.
John Travolta and Emma Thompson make a very believable "Bill" and "Hillary" and Kathy Bates and Billy Bob Thornton are excellent as well.
John Travolta, Billy Bob Thornton and Emma Thompson are all really good at depicting this guy running for president.
Talent abounds in this movie, Travolta, Thompson, Thornton, Bates all work expertly in this very frightening political satire.
Seeing this film reminds me that I'm living in a country, where politics are still a matter of opinion, rather than a question of who's the 'cleaner' person.Travolta is a fine Clinton-look-a-like while Emma Thompsons role leaves too many questions unanswered.
I haven't met anyone in a long time who did not believe that Primary Colors, the book written by Joe Klein and published anonymously, is about William Clinton, so I won't even broach the subject of comparison between Clinton and Stanton, the presidential candidate whose campaign provides the backdrop to the story.
I also enjoyed Billy Bob Thornton as a raunchy, immature political advisor, but the best performance in the movie goes to Kathy Bates, as a private investigator hired by the Stantons to dig up their past before the press can..
This is a terrific film, full of outstanding performances (especially Kathy Bates, who should get an Oscar nomination if there's any justice).But unquestionably, the best part of the movie is to see that Mike Nichols, one of my favorite directors, has still got it.
Surprisingly superb performances by John Travolta, Emma Thompson, and Billy Bob Thorton lend a sort of concrete surrealism to the allegedly true story, but the real strength of this film is its ability to show us how and why leaders make any sacrifices necessary to rise to the top.This film is rather weak when viewed as a comedy, but is shockingly strong as a drama, raising questions that will make you think long and hard after Ry Cooder and Carly Simon's haunting score plays through the credits.I cannot recommend this film highly enough.
It can feel at times like a TV movie about the presidential campaign with them playing very recognizable characters.
So it might boost the publicity then, but 15 years later, when our memories fade, the film actually has weathered pretty good, narrating from a Black young novice Henry (Lester)'s eyes, who assists Governor Jack Stanton (Travolta)'s presidential campaign for the democrats, initially Henry thinks Jack is different from other politicians because he viscerally cares about adult literacy and dyslexia, but when he gets closer to him, the stain of Jack's personal life is far more reprehensible and the conniving political game is far too scurvy for an idealist like him.
"John Travolta leads an all-star cast (including Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, and Billy Bob Thornton) on a wild race to the presidency in this savagely funny comedy.
Nichols makes every small role count (immediately obvious with Allison Janney and Mykelti Williamson).******** Primary Colors (3/20/98) Mike Nichols ~ John Travolta, Adrian Lester, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates.
As soon as I discovered that Emma played in Primary Colors and that the movies was loosely based on the Clintons I wanted to watch it.
Emma Thompson, as Jack's wife Susan, also bears a strong resemblance to Mrs Clinton.Aside from this, Primary Colors is a sharp, witty look at American politics.
What on paper sounds like the ingredients of a smart, snappy political satire instead makes for an over-long and lifeless dud of a movie.Mike Nichols directs John Travolta and Emma Thompson as a political couple clearly modeled on Bill and Hillary Clinton as they make their bid for President and First Lady of the U.S. But the movie has no spark at all, and it drifts aimlessly and lethargically to its conclusion.The only person who is able to breathe some life into the proceedings is Kathy Bates as a firecracker of a political consultant.
John Travolta has always reminded me of Clinton since the early 90s when he became President, and so it's only fitting that he play a similar-looking (and sounding!) character in this story about a United States presidential candidate and his campaign.Kathy Bates is a scene-stealer; the rest of the film is quite basic and only "smile material"--no large laughs, especially not when you're watching it alone.For its fine plot and few good/funny moments I rate it a "3" of five, plus I've wanted to see Travolta doing his Clinton imitation for some time..
At times in this movie, I forgot that Travolta was playing "Governor Stanton" and almost thought I was watching Clinton.
John Travolta and Emma Thompson are Bill and Hillary Clinton to the life -- both good and bad.