Review of Primary Colors (1998) by David A — 05 May 2010

(from The Watermark, 03/29/98)\.

A "fictionalized" account of a Southern governor (Travolta) and his bid to become President. Based on the book (a fictional work that bore a multitude of similarities to President Clinton's journey to the White House), the film is not a smear campaign, nor is it propaganda in defense of Billary. The story is simply about an idealistic campaign worker (Lester) who comes to work for the governor, and finds his true-believer philosophy put to the test once he is sucked into the American political machine. Intelligently scripted by Elaine May and directed by Mike Nichols (the people who brought us The Birdcage), the film successfully shows us both the good and evil sides of politics, and helps us to better understand why the line between the two can easily become blurred. Travolta and Thompson (as the First Lady-to-be) give excellent performances, and regardless of its fact-or-fiction status, the film still makes a powerful political statement. Queer Quotient: The real reason to see this movie is Bates, as Travolta's troubleshooter for scandal, who also happens to be a lesbian. It's another bigger-than-life performance from Bates, yet she still manages to give the character humanity and subtlety. Her name should be at the top of the list for 1999 Oscar nominees.