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Movies / On DVD / Primary Colors
Primary Colors

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Primary Colors (1998)

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79 %
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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Primary Colors

  • T-Meter Critics
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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

As satire, it's toothless and indulgent; as drama of conscience, it's not a patch on real life...

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A gripping drama edged with sly humour.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob McCabe
Bob McCabe
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For the most part, Mike Nichols' film is a brilliant piece of work.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Primary Colors doesn't even attempt an answer. It's content just going along for the ride. It's too busy having fun.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Dramatically weak.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Both a celebration and an indictment of the American political system.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Primary Colors becomes a political morality play, and quite frankly, its mechanics cause it to crawl in across the finish line.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
08/13/07
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

In this brilliant and incisive drama, the filmmakers reveal the shadow sides of American politics.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/02/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Those who wonder how good a Clinton impersonation Travolta does miss the point.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

Director Mike Nichols never allows Primary Colors to get bogged down in a moralistic morass.

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

John Travolta has himself a good deal of fun with his take-off on President Clinton.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A mush of oversimplified ethics.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle

This entertaining but rather peculiar movie asks extraordinary questions, and I wish it were better equipped to give the answers.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Denby
David Denby
New York Magazine

A savvy and thought-provoking look at the nature of contemporary American politics.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
03/30/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Primary Colors is a pretty good film with fine performances and quite a bit of humor.

Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Matt Easterbrook
Matt Easterbrook
Matt's Movie Reviews

The movie is endlessly inventive and involving.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

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.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

The Big Chill of politics.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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