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Primary Colors is the splashy and expensive look at a presidential candidate and his first run, which appears to be a thinly veiled look at Bill and Hillary Clinton, as seen through the eyes of a young African American campaign worker who finds surprises at every turn working for the charismatic candidate.
John Travolta plays Jack Stanton, an amiable and charismatic governor who has begun a campaign to become POTUS when news of an arrest in his past, as well as an extra-marital affair come to light, which motivates Jack's campaign staff to beat the press to any further dirt by hiring a special investigator named Libby Holden (Kathy Bates) to dig up any more dirt on Jack before the press does.
The parallels between this and the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal notwithstanding, it is really hard to tell how much of what we're seeing here really factual, so I will be talking about this film purely for its entertainment value and for that, this film really hits the bullseye...the late Mike Nichols has assembled a spectacular all-star cast who really deliver the goods, and by the goods, I refer to Elaine May's superb screenplay, which is a no-holds barred look into the political machine and the scars it can leave its warriors.
Travolta lights up the screen as Stanton and Emma Thompson buries her English accent long enough to be believable as Stanton's wife, Susan, the woman behind the man and probably the strongest resemblance to her real-life counterpart. Kathy Bates received an Oscar nomination for her performance as the slightly demented investigator and Adrian Lester held his own with a screen of old pros as the idealistic young campaign worker who finds his head turned by the Stantons. Billy Bob Thornton, Larry Hagman, Paul Guilfoyle, Diane Ladd and Maura Tierney also score in supporting roles in this sparkling political comedy that even without its roots in real-life political history, is still solid entertainment.
Primary Colors is the splashy and expensive look at a presidential candidate and his first run, which appears to be a thinly veiled look at Bill and Hillary Clinton, as seen through the eyes of a young African American campaign worker who finds surprises at every turn working for the charismatic candidate.
John Travolta plays Jack Stanton, an amiable and charismatic governor who has begun a campaign to become POTUS when news of an arrest in his past, as well as an extra-marital affair come to light, which motivates Jack's campaign staff to beat the press to any further dirt by hiring a special investigator named Libby Holden (Kathy Bates) to dig up any more dirt on Jack before the press does.
The parallels between this and the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal notwithstanding, it is really hard to tell how much of what we're seeing here really factual, so I will be talking about this film purely for its entertainment value and for that, this film really hits the bullseye...the late Mike Nichols has assembled a spectacular all-star cast who really deliver the goods, and by the goods, I refer to Elaine May's superb screenplay, which is a no-holds barred look into the political machine and the scars it can leave its warriors.
Travolta lights up the screen as Stanton and Emma Thompson buries her English accent long enough to be believable as Stanton's wife, Susan, the woman behind the man and probably the strongest resemblance to her real-life counterpart. Kathy Bates received an Oscar nomination for her performance as the slightly demented investigator and Adrian Lester held his own with a screen of old pros as the idealistic young campaign worker who finds his head turned by the Stantons. Billy Bob Thornton, Larry Hagman, Paul Guilfoyle, Diane Ladd and Maura Tierney also score in supporting roles in this sparkling political comedy that even without its roots in real-life political history, is still solid entertainment.