As satire, it's toothless and indulgent; as drama of conscience, it's not a patch on real life...
Primary Colors (1998)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:73
Fresh:58
Rotten:15
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: Well acted and suprisingly funny.
Runtime: 2 hrs 24 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In Mike Nichols's PRIMARY COLORS, America's topsy-turvy political process is viewed through the eyes of Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), an idealistic young man who is seduced into managing the... In Mike Nichols's PRIMARY COLORS, America's topsy-turvy political process is viewed through the eyes of Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), an idealistic young man who is seduced into managing the presidential campaign of slick southern governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta). The mesmerized Burton immediately sets up campaign headquarters and meets his new political family: Susan Stanton (Emma Thompson), Jack's wife and partner; Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), the sly, improbable political strategist who proudly describes himself as a redneck; Libby Holden (Kathy Bates), the fanatically loyal, overtly lesbian campaign troubleshooter who always has a big mouth and occasionally carries a big gun to match; and Daisy (Maura Tierney), the young, smart, and looking-for-love campaign media adviser. The film is based on the controversial best-selling novel by Anonymous (Joe Klein). Travolta's dead-on, thinly disguised Clinton impersonation alone is well worth seeing. [More]
Starring: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thornton
Starring: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thornton, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, Allison Janney, Paul Guilfoyle
Director: Mike Nichols
Director: Mike Nichols
Screenwriter: Elaine May
Producer: Mike Nichols
Reviews for Primary Colors
A great cast -- led by a charming Travolta, an effectively steely Emma Thompson and a perfectly foul-mouthed Kathy Bates -- relishes the lines and bites the hand that governs them.
Primary Colors doesn't even attempt an answer. It's content just going along for the ride. It's too busy having fun.
Both a celebration and an indictment of the American political system.
Primary Colors becomes a political morality play, and quite frankly, its mechanics cause it to crawl in across the finish line.
In this brilliant and incisive drama, the filmmakers reveal the shadow sides of American politics.
Those who wonder how good a Clinton impersonation Travolta does miss the point.
Director Mike Nichols never allows Primary Colors to get bogged down in a moralistic morass.
John Travolta has himself a good deal of fun with his take-off on President Clinton.
This entertaining but rather peculiar movie asks extraordinary questions, and I wish it were better equipped to give the answers.
A savvy and thought-provoking look at the nature of contemporary American politics.
Primary Colors is a pretty good film with fine performances and quite a bit of humor.
It's hard for me fully to express how deeply rotten I think Primary Colors is. Adjectives like 'glib,' 'coarse,' and 'sour' don't fully do it.
Maintains a fairly deft sense of irony and emotional resourcefulness with regard to its subject, which is, most broadly, the complicated interrelations among politics, sex, ethics and the press.
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