Let's Get Frank

Bart Everly spent two years filming Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank for this 2003 documentary, which often feels like a 75-minute commercial. Frank rose out of relative anonymity in the House of Representatives in 1987 when he publicly announced his homosexuality, making him one of the first “out” elected officials on a national political level. Frank proved his survival skills in the face of blatant homophobic slurs (most notoriously Rep. Dick Armey and his “Barney Fag” statement), but also had to weather scandal in 1990 when it was revealed that he allowed a male hustler to work out of his office (for which he received a Congressional reprimand). Let's Get Frank suggests this scandal helped fuel Frank's tenacious defense of President Clinton later in the decade during the height of the Monica Lewinsky affair (in fact, too much time is spent on Frank's role on the House Judiciary Committee during that brouhaha—leaving the impression that Frank accomplished relatively little in his years in the House beyond defending a naughty president). On the whole, this profile rarely plumbs the depths of its subject, purportedly adopting a fly-on-the-wall approach that more often feels like a fly-on-selective-walls approach. Anyone looking for a genuine insider look at Washington wheeling-dealing or a straight-talking (no pun intended) portrait of what it's like being a gay elected official in today's political environment won't find much in the way of insight here. DVD extras include bonus interviews (and a new one with Frank). Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)