Primary Colors

Starring: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Diane Ladd, Paul Guilfoyle, Rob Reiner, Allison Janney, Mykelti Williamson, Tony Shalhoub, Stacy Edwards
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An idealistic young man (Adrian Lester) joins the campaign of a charismatic southerner (John Travolta) running for U.S. President.

Review:

Tim: I first saw Primary Colors in the movie theater when I was 15 years old. I thought it was okay. More than doubling my age two decades later, I appreciate Mike Nichols' insightful political drama significantly more. This is a thinly veiled look at the presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. Now, it should be noted that this is a work of fiction, but it's obvious to whom each of the characters alludes to. In that vein, this is a fascinating film, one that is about Bill Clinton, but isn't about Bill Clinton. It all makes for an engaging film.

Regardless of the truth of the events of the film, you can watch this and be fascinated by the behind-the-scenes look at a U.S. Presidential campaign, with all its ups and downs. It's made even more intriguing because the man in the spotlight isn't the most moral human being (and we'd come to discover the same truth about Clinton). There's enough comedy here to consider this a farce, but enough truth here to consider this an informative look at the campaign.

The cast is great. John Travolta is in excellent form at the womanizing, charismatic, inspiring Jack Stanton. He does such a good job of making you understand the appeal of Stanton (Clinton) while helping you understand how so many people could look past his myriad flaws. It's a wonderful performance. Adrian Lester gets overshadowed by so many other big names, but he's really excellent in the film, really serving as the protagonist. Emma Thompson was likewise incredible as Stanton's wife. It was hilarious to watch her portrayal, knowing she was really embodying Hillary Clinton. Billy Bob Thornton added some nice supporting scenes and some levity. Kathy Bates was a scene-stealer in her Academy Award nominated performance (for Best Supporting Actress). She had some incredible moments in the film. The cast just keeps going, with strong work from Maura Tierney, Allison Janney, and Tony Shalhoub. The cast Nichols assembles is really quite strong.

The film does have flaws. First off, it's absurdly long at 2 hours, 23 minutes. It really needed to cut about 20 minutes out. I get Nichols' challenge- it's hard to know exactly where to cut, but without the needed edits, this movie is a bit of a bear to sit through. Nichols keeps it moving, so it's never truly frustrating, but this movie is too long. It does feel a little repetitive. The movie is building towards its eventual climax, but it's easy to forget exactly where in the campaign we are and why we need to seen scene after scene after scene. I also found it a little frustrating to not know how much of this film was fiction and how much was inspired by actual events. It gave the film a weird vibe, never knowing where the line was.

Primary Colors didn't make much of a splash at the box office, but it has an incredible cast and it gives a fascinating look into Clinton's presidential campaign. It tells you a lot about politics in the mid 1990s. I enjoyed the film more the second time and I'd certainly recommend it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The American President, W., A Civil Action