The runaway anonymous bestseller, which is a thinly veiled account of the 1992 Clinton campaign, is now a thinly veiled movie about the 1992 Clinton campaign. John Travolta is Jack Stanton, a southern governor running for president, who gathers together a crack political team capable of spinning any fact and dodging any bullet, like the sex scandal that threatens to derail Stantons bid for president. The movie gives audiences a behind the scenes look at the strategy, manipulation and cunning political maneuvering that was among the best-oiled campaigns in U.S. history. While one might compare it to 1972s The Candidate with Robert Redford, Primary Colors stands out as a superior film simply because it is driven by character and the force of the personalities involved. The script by Elaine May paints these characters with suburb detail, and Mike Nichols direction is nearly flawless. The A-list cast includes Kathy Bates, Emma Thompson, Larry Hagman, Billy Bob Thornton, Diane Ladd and Rob Reiner.
