Primary Colors

Forget The Truman Show. The real surreal hit of 1998 has been The Bill & Monica Show, and it's played absolute havoc with Hollywood's latest genre du jour. First, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog (VL-5/98) tackled the presidential (read: Clinton) zipper problem and failed because the outrageous facts of Le Affair Monique pretty much eclipsed the film's broad satiric bite. Mike Nichols' Primary Colors, based on the hit novel by Anonymous (a.k.a. Joe Klein), doesn't make the same mistake, wisely opting for solid characters and a compelling storyline over throwaway political zingers. Chronicling the presidential campaign bid of southern governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta), the story unfolds through the (slightly dewy) eyes of young Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), who watches his Kennedy-esque hero move from idealistic rascal to scandal-encircled political power player. In addition to fine performances by Travolta and Lester, Emma Thompson as Stanton's long-suffering wife/political partner and Billy Bob Thornton as political strategist Richard Jemmons (read: James Carville) are standouts. As for the next entry in the presidential scandal sweepstakes, I'm ready for the Airplane boys to give us a moral comeuppance tale: something like The Man in the Iron Jockstrap. Recommended. (R. Pitman)