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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»1990s Movies»Movies 1998
    Movies 1998 Movies P 5 Mins Read

    Primary Colors (1998)

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    After five years of movies featuring surrogate Bill Clintons ranging from benevolent (Dave, The American President) to vengeful (Air Force One) to malignant (Absolute Power, Wag The Dog), this was the first of the lot that didn’t pretend to be about anything but the man himself.

    Primary Colors is a movie about a fictionalised Bill Clinton, but it’s also about the state of American politics and America in general.

    Expertly adapted from the Joe “Anonymous” Klein-written novel by director Mike Nichols and writer/reunited comedy partner Elaine May, Primary Colors follows John Travolta, playing Jack Stanton – a Southern governor with presidential aspirations – as he moves through the electoral process, battling opponents and scandals along the way.

    The film works in large part due to the decision to tell the story from the point of view of Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), the grandson of a famous civil rights leader, who is almost unwillingly roped into managing Stanton’s campaign (His role equates more or less to that of George Stephanopoulos in real life).

    Driven by his need to believe in Stanton as much as the belief itself, Burton creates an effective template for anyone who has ever wanted to believe that a politician, for once, really represents his or her beliefs.

    Things, of course, turn out to be more complex than that, something Burton knows pretty much from the outset but only fully realises after being thrust into a world populated with remarkably diverse characters.

    Burton sets up headquarters in a town enchantingly named Mammoth Falls. Stanton’s team includes adviser Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), who swiftly exposes himself to a female campaign worker. When Burton remonstrates with him, he tries to pull rank.

    “I’m probably blacker than you,” he drawls. “I got some slave in me. I can feel it”. (Reviewers generally supposed Jemmons to be inspired by Clinton strategist James Carville, though the real Carville is nowhere near as gruesome).

    Like Clinton, Stanton faces allegations about his activities during the Vietnam war – in Clinton’s case, avoiding the draft. Then one Cashmere McLeod (Gia Carides) releases tapes of sexually suggestive conversations between herself and the governor. During Clinton’s campaign, Gennifer Flowers came forward with similar accusations.

    Susan Stanton (Emma Thompson) calls in “dustbuster” Libby Holden (Kathy Bates) – an idealistic, unstable, no-bullshit, lesbian problem-solver – to help protect her husband’s image.

    “Our Jackie’s done some pretty stupid things in his life,” Holden growls. “He’s poked his pecker in some sorry trash bins.” It has been suggested that her character was inspired by elements of Vince Foster and Betsey Wright, Clinton’s chief of staff. The latter memorably described the frequent sex scandals buffeting her boss as “bimbo eruptions”.

    Though she initially comes off as a shrill caricature, it’s Bates’ dirt-suppresser who, when called upon to be a dirt-provider against last-minute candidate Fred Picker (Larry Hagman), provides the movie’s soul.

    Strip away the beautifully drawn characters and sustained tone of plausible absurdity – done so much better here than in the shallow, cynical Wag The Dog (1997) – and Primary Colors may be nothing more than an elaborate explanation and justification of the lesser-of-two-evils approach to politics, with Clinton-by-way-of-Travolta emerging as ultimately well-meaning underneath all those conspicuous warts.

    But it’s also one of the truest political portraits in years, as well as a fine piece of drama.

    Despite good reviews and some fine performances, Primary Colors didn’t set the box office alight – perhaps because the history to which it was trying to allude was overtaken by events.

    Demonstrating yet again that truth is stranger than fiction, this film came out when a far bigger scandal was consuming Clinton. The 1998 allegations of a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky would result in an investigation of Clinton’s personal life and impeachment proceedings. By the standards of 1998 Clinton scandals, 1992’s bimbo eruptions and a spot of alleged draft-dodging looked tame.

    Governor Jack Stanton
    John Travolta
    Susan Stanton
    Emma Thompson
    Richard Jemmons
    Billy Bob Thornton
    Henry Burton
    Adrian Lester
    Daisy
    Maura Tierney
    Howard Ferguson
    Paul Guilfoyle
    Governor Fred Picker
    Larry Hagman
    Libby Holden
    Kathy Bates
    Mamma Stanton
    Diane Ladd
    March
    Rebecca Walker
    Lucille Kaufman
    Caroline Aaron
    Fat Willie
    Tommy Hollis
    Izzy Rosenblatt
    Rob Reiner
    Arlen Sporken
    Ben Jones
    Uncle Charlie
    J.C. Quinn
    Miss Walsh
    Allison Janney
    Norman Asher
    Robert Klein
    Dewayne Smith
    Mykel T. Williamson
    Mitch
    James Denton
    Ruby
    Leontine Guilliard
    Tawana Carter
    Monique Ridge
    Brad Lieberman
    Ned Eisenberg
    Randy Culligan
    Brian Markinson
    Geraldo Rivera
    Himself
    Charlie Rose
    Himself
    Larry King
    Himself
    Sailorman Shoreson
    O’Neal Compton
    Lawrence Harris
    Kevin Cooney
    Martha Harris
    Bonnie Bartlett
    Charlie Martin
    Chelcie Ross
    Lorenzo Delgado
    John Vargas
    Eddie Reyes
    Tony Shalhoub
    Loretta
    Bianca Lawson
    Jimmy Ozio
    Robert Cicchini
    Jack Mandela Washington
    Stan Davis
    Sam
    Harrison Young
    Anthony Ramirez
    Rolando Molina
    Peter Goldsmith
    Ross Benjamin
    Jennifer Rogers
    Stacy Edwards
    Terry Hicks
    Kristoffer Ryan Winters
    Ella Louise
    Susan Kussman
    Amalee
    Vickilyn Reynolds
    Bart Nilson
    Robert Symonds
    Cashmere McLeod
    Gia Carides
    Doctor Beauregard
    Robert Easton
    Danny Scanlon
    Scott Burkholder
    Linda Feldstein
    Darice Richman

    Director
    Mike Nichols

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