Weiner (2016)

An examination of disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign and today's political landscape.

Directors:

Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg

Writers:

Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg

Stars:

Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Jordan Zain Weiner

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 8 wins & 53 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Anthony Weiner	...	Self
Huma Abedin	...	Self
Jordan Zain Weiner	...	Self
Barbara Morgan	...	Self - Communications Director
George McDonald	...	Self
Camille Joseph	...	Self - Campaign Manager
Amit Bagga	...	Self - Senior Advisor
Maura Tracy	...	Self - Senior Staffer
Sydney Leathers	...	Self
Andrew Noh	...	Self - Campaign Aide
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adam S. Barta	...	Self
Bill Clinton	...	Self (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton	...	Self (archive footage)
Stephen Colbert	...	Self (archive footage)
Bill de Blasio	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

Serving seven consecutive terms, Anthony Weiner, good friends with and political allies to the Clintons, was once a highly respected member of Congress from New York City, he seen as a man sticking up for the every day person. That all changed in June, 2011 when he was forced to resign in disgrace after admitting that he did tweet lewd "headless" photos of himself from his public Twitter account to women he met online, and that it was not the work of a hacker or that the photos were of someone else. At the time, his wife Huma Abedin, herself a key aide to Hillary Clinton, was pregnant with their first child, she who decided to stand by her man. Two years later with Abedin still by his side, Weiner tries to resurrect his political career in a run for New York City mayor. He realizes that he has an uphill battle not only because of the known previously tweeted photos, but that there are other lewd photos from that era that may also come to light during the campaign. Regardless of the ...

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Plot Keywords:

democrat candidate | democratic election | husband wife relationship | campaign | weiner | 

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Taglines:

Anthony Weiner was a young congressman on the cusp of higher office when a sexting scandal forced a humiliating resignation. Just two years later, he ran for Mayor of New York City, betting that his ideas would trump his indiscretions. He was wrong.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films Madman Entertainment

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 May 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Weiner

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,173, 22 May 2016

Gross USA:

$1,676,108

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,715,955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edgeline Films, Motto Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening prologue is a quotation which reads: "The name of a man is a numbing blow from which he never recovers - Marshall McLuhan".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anthony Weiner: Shit. Shit. This is the worst. This is the worst. Doing a documentary on my scandal...
[happily on the phone]
Anthony Weiner: Hi!

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Connections

Features Weiner and Me (2013)

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Soundtracks

Icarus
Written by Tom Paul and Alex Harvey
Produced by Tom Paul
Courtesy of Buddy's Room Music
Performed by Stephanie Jenkins (banjo), Alex Harvey (guitar), Lesley Kernochan (saw), Laurence Goldman (bowed bass), Jon Graboff (pedal steel), Tom Paul (bass)

User Reviews

more Huma, less Weiner please

Greetings again from the darkness. Normally I would have no interest in a movie with this title, but in this case, it's a chance to get a glimpse into the psychological make-up of a guy who obliterated his own political career … by simply being unable to keep his privates private. The end result of the efforts from filmmakers Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg is nearly unrestricted access to a NYC mayor candidate's campaign, as well as a look at a politician that is at times tense, and other times funny (in a laughing AT you kind of way).

In 2011, seven-term New York Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned in the aftermath of a sexting scandal made worse by (what else?) … his lying and attempted cover-up. The film begins with a clip of one of Weiner's explosive speeches, meant to portray his expertise as a legislator and politician. This is quickly followed by the pun-filled headlines that exposed his sexting habit, seemingly leaving his political career in the dust.

Picking up two years later, the film finds the disgraced former Congressman running a campaign for NYC mayor. We can't be too surprised as we have learned numerous times that many politicians are addicted to power and life in the public eye. What makes this an interesting subject is two-fold: how publicly humiliated Weiner had been, and the fact that his wife is Huma Abedin, long-time Hillary Clinton adviser and aide.

We don't learn how it happened, but we do find Anthony and Huma are still married, are parents to a young child (she was pregnant when the first scandal hit), and that Huma fully supports his mayoral candidacy. As the campaign kicks off, Weiner is a frontrunner, proving that we are a forgiving lot. The cameras capture him in full candidate mode – making calls to potential donors, giving speeches, dealing with staffers, and working the crowds at his energy-filled parades. Of course, it's all a façade … or at least half of one.

When the second sexting scandal hits and "Carlos Danger" makes headlines as Weiner's online pseudonym, the real trainwreck begins, and we find it impossible to turn away. It's at this point where our feelings are confirmed … Huma is by far the more interesting of these two personality polar opposites. Where Weiner is two-faced – bouncing between humbled and overly ambitious; Huma is cool, collected and (seemingly) smart.

Weiner remains clueless about his chances, and the level of tension skyrockets in meetings and during spousal moments. It's impossible not to believe that the energies used towards the campaign would have been better spent in therapy – both individual and as a couple. His stream of lies proved he had not changed his ways, and his periodic reflective and apologetic moments are diminished by his true color nastiness, which is more pervasive.

The film gets unnecessarily sidetracked during a segment that features one of Weiner's phone sex relationships – codenamed "Pineapple". Entirely too much time is spent on her pathetic publicity grab, and fortunately it all falls flat. It is a reminder that the media never misses a chance to film a frenzy … even if they have to manipulate it. There is no room in a documentary for TWO trainwrecks! After the film and the irresistible draw of watching this ego-driven dude never once come to grips with why he is socially unacceptable as a leader, we realize there are unanswered questions. Why did Huma stick with her husband? Why was she onboard with him getting back in the game … did she really miss the public eye? The filmmaker flat out asks Weiner "Why have you let me film this?" Perhaps the answer to that last question is somewhat explained when you know that Anthony Weiner made an appearance in "Sharknado 3". Some people just need the spotlight.

The hecklers, the eye rolls, the angry outbursts all lead up to Lawrence O'Donnell asking Weiner "What's wrong with you?" I asked myself that same question after the movie when I realized that I was mesmerized the entire time. As for Huma ever allowing herself to be the subject of a documentary, we can only assume that she is too sagacious to allow such unfettered camera access to her work. I suppose her appearance in the next "Sharknado" is equally unlikely.