terrible... so disappointed.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

This has that typical Altman mix, often brilliant, sometimes just good, and occasionally over the-top, and self conscious. The acting is generally good, but a little uneven. Some characters are very real, others come off as pure caricature. The series felt longer than it needed to be to make its points. The middle episodes were a bit boring and trite. (Spoiler alert) But then there's the episode where Tanner goes into the hood and meets w/real mothers of murdered kids, in an improvised scene of pain and anger which is simply devastating, and the whole series felt redeemed.Overall, while watching it, I liked it, not loved it. But looking back, it left me with a much more powerful and lasting impression.

After a contentious decade for Robert Altman, during which he was pretty much shunned by the Hollywood system and made some of his worst films, it's only fitting that he should cap the decade off with an absolute triumph, this absorbing mini-series made for HBO.I don't know why it took so long for someone to pair "Doonesbury" writer Garry Trudeau with Altman, because in retrospect, it seems like a match made in heaven. Both have the exact same sarcastic sense of humor and the talent for seeing the absurd in the mundane. They crafted a fascinating look into the world of political machinations, following the story of fictitious 1988 presidential candidate Jack Tanner but setting it against the real world of the democratic primaries. Therefore, actual members of the political scene at the time interact with star Michael Murphy as if he's a real presidential nominee, and the viewer is never sure what action is authentic and what is staged.Murphy is superb as Tanner, and he's perfectly cast. Tanner is handsome and charismatic enough to make a fairly successful run for the nomination, but he's too bland and too nice to make it all the way. The series examines one of the major conundrums about American politics: to have a candidate with conviction and good ideas isn't enough. He must also be a personality and be able to navigate the tricky terrain of the American media, with the result that those who go farthest are those who know how to work the system, not those who are most honest. "Tanner '88" captured perfectly my own feelings about presidential elections. On the one hand, they're of supreme importance, because they determine who will be the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. But on the other hand, they seem like such pointless exercises, and it's hard to muster up the energy to care time after time.But one of the strongest and most serious points made by this series comes in an episode in which Tanner visits the slums of Detroit in his home state of Michigan. He realizes that he is completely out of touch with the very people he promises to help, and has no clue about what their lives are really like. That's painfully true about our own leadership -- it was in 1988 and still is today. There's a vast and probably insurmountable gap between the privileged few who ever have the remotest hope of being president and the millions of average Americans over whom they govern.All of the acting in "Tanner '88" is sensational, to the point where I forgot I wasn't just watching real people being filmed by a documentary filmmaker. Most notable are Pamela Reed, as Tanner's campaign manager, Cynthia Nixon, as his overbearing and very young daughter, and E.G. Marshall, who makes a few memorable appearances as Tanner's awful father.This is a must see for Altman fans, or really anyone with an interest in American politics.Grade: A+

Where the whole world is holding its breath because of the upcoming 2004 election, it is refreshing to watch this TV series. Not only because of the superb acting of Pamela Reed & Michael Murphy and each and every one of the ensemble (something we almost take for granted with Altman pictures, which always give sublime acting) and the great writing, but also because it gives non-Americans some insight in Political USA.Inspiring and clarifying, it makes one wonder first of all why it's always the wrong movie people that get elected in politics. Wouldn't we all be much more relaxed if USA politics had a bit of the Altman-touch to it...Unfortunately, the inspiration of this Maverick doesn't seem to reach the oligarchy in power. Altman DOES show us that TV can be fascinating and uplifting, even though he got curtailed, which will keep us wondering how that 12th episode that was never shot would be like.Does this TV-series, which is over before one knows it and doesn't seem to take the 12x 30 minutes it says on the DVD jewelbox, draw a true picture of political USA ? Being from Europe I sincerely hope not, but I'm afraid it is even worse than Tanner is showing us. 'Let's not tell too much and focus on the face'.And even worse, after globalization and sugarfrosted horrors for breakfast, the 'old world' is quickly picking up on this terrible excrescence too...

Terrific for those looking for a hidden Altman masterwork. It shares many traits with Altman's best (i.e. _Nashville_, _Short Cuts_, and Three Women_, etc.): strong ensemble acting, overlapping dialogue, quirky sense of humor, lots of serendipity. The political insider's perspective - which we must credit to Trudeau - only adds to the fun. _Tanner_ gains greater richness of character and narrative as it unfolds. Here's hoping Tanner runs again