Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

bkoganbing Sadly enough sins of the flesh have been used to bring down rising political figures since the dawn of time. 10 years ago my local Assemblyman was caught having an affair with an intern and faced a primary over it. Since in my opinion he did a good job in representing me and what I want quite frankly he could have had affairs on the state capital steps with 100 interns. I just don't care about these things. Still sadly enough people do and we've seen in fiction Charles Foster Kane brought down by his affair with Susan Alexander and in real life Charles Parnell in Ireland by his affair with Kitty O'Shea.In a portrayal so obviously based on the Clintons they ought to sue, John Travolta and Emma Thompson play a southern governor and his Yankee born wife who is running for president. As Henry Kissinger said "power is the ultimate aphrodisiac and the groupies do buzz around Travolta, more than he can handle.And because of that he's got this trail of women who are ready to exploit his new found celebrity as a presidential candidate. His presidential bid just might get derailed before he's out of the station.All this is seen through the eyes of Adrian Lester whose granddad was a noted civil right activist who is considering signing on. He watches how Travolta deals with the various accusations, how his best defense is a good offense.It saddens me that we lose a lot of potentially good public officials through these sins of the flesh. I've always hated politicians who having nothing else to offer make someone else's so called moral failings their main issue. We'll all be better off once as a society we're past that. Ironically the last presidential election may have been a game changer for the wrong reasons.Primary Colors got two Oscar nominations, for best adapted screenplay based on Joe Klein's novel and Best Supporting Actress for Kathy Bates. Bates is a tough political infighter, but loyal to Travolta/Thompson having history going all the way back to the Vietnam war protests. She dominates when she's on screen and her very loyalty carries the seeds of self destruction.Current Oscar contender Alison Janney has a really great part as a school administrator who has a drinking problem and misses no opportunity to put her issue across with Travolta. She's at the beginning of the film, but you remember her throughout.Primary Colors, another in the pantheon of great political films.

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."Primary Colors" (1998) is superbly entertaining motion picture, telling a story of a campaign for president post, and how all the dirty thing eventually come up. This is superbly paced picture, which at long running time 2 h 20 min. doesn't drag for a minute, yes, it is that involving. Scipt is terrific, sometimes very funny (but it is not slapstick comedy) and smart. Acting is brilliant. Everyone in here shines, John Travolta is superb in here, as well Billy Bob Thornton and all the rest - it is a superb cast doing a superb work.Overall, "Primary Colors" is as much about politics as it not about politics. Well, it's actually about politics, but this movie can be watch by those who don't like politic in general, this movie is a true gem. And by the way, i think i would have voted for Picker.

Python Hyena Primary Colors (1998): Dir: Mike Nichols / Cast: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Kathy Bates: Political comedy that analyzes character. John Travolta runs for Governor with his Bill Clinton accent with Emma Thompson at his side as his supportive wife. Adrian Lester is brought in but he has difficulties in the system and in belief in Travolta. Maura Tierney plays his media consultant who provides Travolta with media advice. Kathy Bates chews scenery as a political fixer who unleashes interesting methods of getting the truth heard. Well written and directed by Mike Nichols with insight. He often deals with controversial or political issues in his films but here he highlights effectively with the humour. He previously made The Graduate and Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Travolta balances humour and drama effectively, which adds to his accent. Thompson is superb in her struggle to bring it down to earth. Lester is well cast as a man seeking political honesty. Tierney steals her moments as the consultant. Kathy Bates steals every scene she is in as someone assigned to counter attack in their favour and it results in some of the funniest moments. Nichols fills the film with a terrific ensemble where everyone is a steal. It is a film about human decency, which is unfortunately becoming more rare in our society, and it succeeds greatly with flying colours. Score: 10 / 10

lasttimeisaw Mike Nichols presents a political satire PRIMARY COLORS, which came timely during Bill Clinton's infamous Lewinsky scandal and impeachment in 1998. So it might boost the publicity then, but 15 years later, when our memories fade, the film actually has weathered pretty good, narrating from a Black young novice Henry (Lester)'s eyes, who assists Governor Jack Stanton (Travolta)'s presidential campaign for the democrats, initially Henry thinks Jack is different from other politicians because he viscerally cares about adult literacy and dyslexia, but when he gets closer to him, the stain of Jack's personal life is far more reprehensible and the conniving political game is far too scurvy for an idealist like him. With a light touch, the film sets its campaign process in a vibrant tempo, benignly portrays Jack as a zestful candidate who canvasses and panders to his voters with great facility (through the different connotations from his body gestures and a memorable slapstick cameo from Allison Janney) in spite of the relatively youthful and uninitiated team. Then when Jack's wife Susan (Thompson) comes into the scene, the placid surface cannot dissemble the cracks beneath as soon as we detect Jack's philandering nature. A sex scandal is well-expected, which invites the troubleshooter Libby (an open lesbian and a close friend of Jack and Susan since college), plays by a fiery Kathy Bates, a devil-may-care warrior can track down any sources and break them, Bates is well-deserved for this hard-earned Oscar nominated performance, her wrangle with Jack and Susan about the integrity she cannot forsake is purely magnificent. Emma Thompson is perpetually excellent, especially under Nichol's guidance, a perfect wife behind a successful man mode is such a cinch for her and she nails it with much more nuances to accentuate her vulnerability and snobbishness. As for Travolta, it has hitherto been his last decent offer (if one can count out his droll transvestite transformation in HAIRSPRAY 2007, 8/10), underneath his cordial impression, his true color does not betray easily even in the hardest times, maybe that's why makes him a successful politician. And Adrian Lester is the audience's proxy, a wide-eyed enthusiast undergoes the tidal wave throughout, and an adamant observer which cogently influences his sea change in altitude through the screen to the viewers, bookends with the ending's artificial vagueness which also corresponds with the beginning, the same handshakes, different undertones. Forget about its reality allusions if you can, PRIMARY COLORS qualifies itself as a better-than- expected dissection of what politicians are made of, we are all characters with flaws, sometimes moralities and political expertise should be discriminated in order to see through the murky smoke screen and select the credential-ed ones instead of stalking horses. As for most of us, the most substantial message is that there is no win-win situation or whatsoever in the political composition.