Primary Colors (1998)

A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for president of the USA.

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Joe Klein (novel), Elaine May (screenplay)

Stars:

John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Governor Jack Stanton
Emma Thompson	...	Susan Stanton
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Richard Jemmons
Kathy Bates	...	Libby Holden
Adrian Lester	...	Henry Burton
Maura Tierney	...	Daisy Green
Larry Hagman	...	Gov. Fred Picker
Diane Ladd	...	Mamma Stanton
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Howard Ferguson
Rebecca Walker	...	March
Caroline Aaron	...	Lucille Kaufman
Tommy Hollis	...	William McCullison (Fat Willie)
Rob Reiner	...	Izzy Rosenblatt
Ben Jones	...	Arlen Sporken
J.C. Quinn	...	Uncle Charlie

Storyline

Jack Stanton is running for president. The election is seen through the eyes of young Henry Burton. Along the way Stanton must deal with a sex scandal.

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Plot Keywords:

candidate | governor | president | honor | politics | 

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Taglines:

How Much Spin Does It Take To Win?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexual references

Details

Country:

France UK Germany USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mit aller Macht

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£238,918 (UK) (30 October 1998)

Gross:

£497,545 (UK) (6 November 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Award Entertainment, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Icarus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Allison Janney said that she was offered the role of C.J. Cregg on The West Wing after Aaron Sorkin saw her small part as Miss Walsh in this film.

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Goofs

When Susan tells Henry "none of us have run a presidential campaign before" she puts her left hand on his shoulder; in the next shot it's on his upper arm instead. (The discontinuity is interesting in light of the first lines of the film, which discuss the significance of where exactly Jack Stanton would place his hand on the arm of a person he was greeting.)

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Quotes

Susan Stanton: That's how history is made, Henry - by the first-timers.

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Connections

Spoofs The War Room (1993)

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Soundtracks

"TENNESSEE WALTZ"
Written by Redd Stewart, Pee Wee King

User Reviews

Good movie struggles to get out of facile shell

I was never a big fan of the novel by Joe Klein that this movie is based on. Like Clinton, it seemed more slick and facile than satirical and insightful. There was a good story trying to get out, but it didn't. The movie manages to bring more of that story to the forefront, like the idea that even a nominee with good ideas and good heart needs to do dirty deeds to get elected because of how screwed up the American system is. 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. Considering how much the filmmakers tried to distance themselves between their story and Clinton's real-life troubles, this seemed little more than a slick impression, and I found it distracting. I also found missed some of the stuff they cut from the novel, like Thompson's indiscretion with Adrian Lester's character, and the relationship between him and Tierney didn't have the context here that it did in the novel. And again, I was left wondering, "If you hate him that much, why stay?" Overall, an admirable effort, and maybe I'll be more receptive once this whole impeachment garbage fades from memory, but I still found it wanting.