Quickie Review: Primary Colors (1998)

The shadows behind the flag.

Politics are probably the most deceptively contrived part of our society today.  Politicians are meant to be selfless, men/women of the people, yet we find that they are mostly, in fact, power-hungry and narcissistic.  Its hard not be when the media puts them on such a pedestal. Its a weird thought, that FDR one of our greatest presidents, would have a very tough shot a winning an election today.  The media was shielded from the fact that he spent most of his time in a wheelchair.  The film, “Primary Colors,” is a pre-911 look at the political spin-game.

John Travolta plays a Bill Clinton-like presidential candidate, complete with all the southern charm and scandal.  Travolta does well enough, as its fair to think he is just playing himself with a southern accent.  Emma Thompson plays the wife of Travolta’s character.   Her character is caught up in very 90’s women in distress archetype, which is disappointing by today’s standards.  The stand-out in the film is the foul-mouthed political spin doctor, Libby, played by Kathy Bates.  Libby provides the movie with a moral compass.  A compass with a sailor’s dictionary of curse words.

A main detractor of this film is the, very 90’s styled, posed political dialogue.  Its extremely easy to see where one conversation is going to go between cliched characters.  The strength of the movie is its multiple various plot twists.  Overall, it leaves the viewer with a queasy uneasiness.  Which I suppose is appropriate, as watching any modern day political spin does the same.

With today’s unlimited political media saturation, this movie seems to have dulled its edge over time.

2.5 out of 5