That was an excellent one.

Thanks for the memories!

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

'Primary Colors' holds up well. It's a trip of 90's nostalgia and yet it's questions and themes are still very relevant in the Trump age. It takes us back to a simpler time when our gravest concern was Clinton's promiscuity. I like the dilemma of the film as to whether our lead character Henry Burton can look past the fact that the Clinton standee is a reprehensible scumbag to embrace his ability to win voters. I feel as if it's the crux of being a liberal in this country. The cast is what sells the film because there is so much danger of venturing off into caricature here. For the most part I think the film navigates that tight rope pretty well. The main stand out is Travolta in arguably his career best performance. His Jack Stanton challenges the audience as we can at both times appreciate and loath him. Travolta is particularly good at showing that so much of the character is a facade. The best scene is when he flips out in a restroom after getting some bad news. Emma Thompson is also excellent as Jack's long suffering wife Susan who while angry at her husband is willing to buckle down and withstand his many character faults if it means having her ambitions fulfilled.It's a very on the nose movie. I'll compare it to a later(but much worse) Nichol's film, Charlie Wilson's War. Both films are politically charged but there is a nuance to them that Nichols really doesn't seem to appreciate at times. He is fortunate in that Adrian Lester really is wonderful at relaying the conflict his character is going through. There's an ending to the film that I feel must have been added in post-production where the moral dilemma is for lack of a better word resolved. He should have left the audience hanging.

Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) is the grandson of a civil rights leader. He is brought in as the body man for Governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta) as he runs for the democratic nomination for president. It's a small campaign at the beginning. He has a complicated relationships with his wife Susan Stanton (Emma Thompson). Jack is a womanizer and an exceedingly friendly guy. Inappropriate southerner Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton) and Daisy Green (Maura Tierney) are the strategists. Henry wants politics to make a difference and is won over by Burton who may actually win. They hire the unstable Libby Holden (Kathy Bates) who was Jack's former chief of staff to research all the hidden skeletons. Then a sex scandal erupts.Based on Joe Klein's book on the Clinton campaign, this has the feel of ripped-from-the-headlines story. That has its own charm and its own pitfalls. It can feel at times like a TV movie about the presidential campaign with them playing very recognizable characters. It also has the feel of authenticity. The performances are terrific anchored by Travolta, Billy Bob and Thompson. Although Henry Burton needs to be a more central compelling character. He not only has to represent the audience but he needs to react to Jack. The audience has to feel the reaction. Jack has to raise up Henry and then break his heart. Burton is a bit too bland of a character in a world of sharp compelling characters.

This Film à clef is clearly thinly disguised as a stand in for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential primary election campaign. Not even the book written by an anonymous author can hide the facts that it's closely mirrors Bill Clinton's attempt to win over the people dismight conflicts such as his affairs, his participation in Vietnam War era protest, and others. Every thing about the film, just about speaks of him, even the actor playing an Southern governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta) who mimics the president southern drawn, and charm. It's hard not to see him in Jack. The movie starts with an idealistic former congressional worker, Henry Burton AKA George Stephanopoulos (Adrian Lester), whom joins the campaign whoms been impressed by Stanton's genuine warmth and empathy with people. He joins Stanton's inner circle of political advisers: Stanton's formidable wife, Susan Stanton AKA Hillary Clinton (Emma Thompson). Emme Thompson plays the shrewdness role well, as a women whom dreams and hope are riding on a man whom does mistake after mistake, nearly derailing his chances to be president. She doesn't mind chewing him out or bailing him. She always doesn't mind the womanizing that takes it's toll on her, as long as she wins in the end. Henry also meets ruthless, redneck political strategist Richard Jemmons AKA James Carville (Billy Bob Thornton) whom character is so unlikeable, it's hurt the film. The character is too mopey, drunk, sexual harasser and indecisive that it doesn't match the entertaining Carville of the documentary "The War Room,". It's not Carville. It's a downer character nobody ask for. Lastly he meets tough, but unbalanced Libby Holden AKA Betsey Wright/ Vince Foster (Kathy Bates.) Kathy Bates gives one of her best performance in this role, as she able to show strong emotion when needed, while also breaking down heart-broken. The film get good when tackles Henry and Libby are forced to seek out information about a rival politician. It's really shows how deep, far and twisted, people will go to dig to make sure their candidate wins while also showing how deeply disillusioned, they can be with the whole political process. Thus is each character tested: Do we do the right thing for the wrong reason, the wrong thing for the right reason? How low do we go? If we go too low, can we ever get back up? Both of them are forced to choose between idealism and realism when looking up and helping out a political contender. Kathy Bates' Libby Holden is the movie's most outstanding character and the one who most stirringly articulates its frustrations about the candidate. The film's single best and most serious scene, arriving in its abruptly melodramatic third act, finds Libby desperately begging the Stantons to assess their campaign ethics. It's heart breaking speech is brilliant. The satire film does a good job following the book's plot. I think Joe Klein would be proud. Oops-- I meant the anonymous author. Much of the charm of the Mike Nichols film is just looking at the array of vivid caricatures actor playing real-life people, but it's lacks to give us a great main character. Henry is a bland, passive presence occupying a good deal of screen time. Adrian Lester is great, but it's doesn't have that George Stephanopoulos charm to him. The boy scout works for a while, he knows Stanton is somewhat a phony since the beginning, but it's doesn't seem to matter to him. So why does the political process makes him disillusioned, if he knew all the long that this might be stressful? He knew what he was putting himself in. I guess he didn't know how much he was willing to take. It suppose to be by the end time, he comes a time when he must make peace with the idea that the purest of causes may be advanced by the most impure of champions, but he knew that before getting in. This is what hurts the film. It's not like Mr. Smith goes to Washington here, he knew in advance, how ugly it is. Does he change it for the better? No. Does he keep his moral ground? No. Henry doesn't learn anything new, but he does get a new job. The movie is slow-pace, funny at times, but hard to watch, cause how depressing it is. It exposes politics for what it is. A ugly, disgusting, game where idealism is crush, disappointment kicks in, and when you come out of it. You feel like you tired of it. That's what happen to the film. It gets tiresome after one watch. It's like the elections. Good for one night every four years.

A thinly disguised couple, one of the most famous couple of the last decade. They carry the "come as you are" kind of attitude, apparently, so, yes, at least apparently. Looking at it from where I'm standing in 2007 she may become the first USA woman president and he was, for 8 years, one of, if not the most popular American president since JFK and with the benefit of hindsight, he was probably a much more talented politician than JFK. I'm not necessarily a Democrat but I became, eventually, pro Clinton. Junk food and "momathons" infidelity and at times right down vulgarity doesn't blur the intentions of the couple and a couple is what they are. It may not have been John Travolta's most popular performance but for my money it's his best. Emma Thompson deals with Elaine May's superb and telling dialog with all the depth and poignancy, let alone fun, that the character deserved. She is magnificent. Kathy Bate's time bomb character is an unnerving fun to watch. Her Libby is a close relative of her "Misery" Mike Nichols keeps it really domestic. The most important things take place in Motels or kitchens. She wears yellow plastic gloves to do the dishes when big decisions are taken and cleanses her skin with a tissue in front of the preppy Adrian Lester the first time she meets him. They are ordinary southern folks with an extraordinary destiny. She's the one with a sense of history. Imagine that. See it now, again or for the first time before the next elections. It's a very good movie too.