You don't have to be a political junkie to enjoy 2003's K Street, but it definitely helps. Otherwise, you might need a scorecard to distinguish the actors from the real-life Washington D.C. players who appear as themselves in this bold HBO series co-produced by George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh, who directs with the same gonzo gusto he brought to Traffic (each episode had a five-day shooting schedule). The anchor for the series is a fledgling political consultancy and lobbying firm fronted by James Carville and Mary Matalin (actual former political campaign adversaries who married), while the fictional characters who provide the personal dramas include Maggie (Mary McCormack), Tommy (John Slattery), and “mystery man” Francisco Dupré (Roger Guenveur Smith), who just may have his own agenda. Fact and fiction blur brilliantly as these characters ply their trade: in the first episode, for example, Carville puts his firm at risk by agreeing to coach then-presidential front runner Howard Dean for a debate (Dean scored big in the real debate with the Trent Lott joke that Carville supplied!). Less compelling is the unfolding story about a Justice Department investigation of the firm. Obviously inspired by Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau's Tanner '88 series, which offered a Nashville-style panoramic look at the campaign trial, K Street did have a tendency to get a little too inside at times (the show only lasted 10 episodes--a shame when you consider that HBO propped up the critically lambasted Arli$$ for years), but this double-disc set (minus any extras, unfortunately), is still sure to appeal to politically-minded viewers. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
K Street: The Complete Series
HBO, 2 discs, 300 min., not rated, DVD: $24.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
K Street: The Complete Series
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