As satire, it's toothless and indulgent; as drama of conscience, it's not a patch on real life...
Comment
06/24/06
Primary Colors (1998)
79
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thornton
Director: Mike Nichols
Reviews for Primary Colors
Top CriticA gripping drama edged with sly humour.
01/01/00
Top CriticA 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.
01/01/00
Top CriticFor the most part, Mike Nichols' film is a brilliant piece of work.
01/01/00
A savvy and thought-provoking look at the nature of contemporary American politics.
03/30/09
Travolta is amazingly Clintonesque as Stanton, a role that I never believed he could pull off.
01/07/09
The film owes a few doggie bones to "Wag the Dog," which came first in pointing out what Primary Colors only seconds.
11/03/08
Primary Colors successfully straddles the line between comedy and tragedy.
09/22/07
Primary Colors becomes a political morality play, and quite frankly, its mechanics cause it to crawl in across the finish line.
08/13/07
It used to be that we had to wait 20 years for the fictionalization of history -- now that gap seems to have closed to less than five years. Kinda sad. But also kinda entertaining!
12/06/05
John Travolta has himself a good deal of fun with his take-off on President Clinton.
04/09/05
No review available.
04/02/05
an alarmingly topical comedy-drama that dredges up far more issues than it can address in its two-and-a-half hours. But give Nichols, writer Elaine May and everyone else an 'A' for effort.
07/31/03
No review available.
05/20/03
John Travolta continues to establish himself as one of the best actors of the younger generation, and this may be his best job yet.
02/08/03
No review available.
01/10/03
Mike Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May have produced one of the smartest, funniest political movies of the past 20 years.
10/15/02
The film asks if it matters if a man's got a questionable personal life if he's good at his job, and God knows this is a relevant question.
09/10/02
...hardly important but well-made and ultimately life-affirming
07/31/02
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