'The Front Runner' is basically the greatest West Wing episode ever
Film Review Friday!
Just like every Friday, here is "something new," "something old," and "something to stream." Our theme this week is political movies. On the closing night of the 2018 Chicago Film Festival a few weeks ago, I was able to see an awesome film and hear a Q&A with its director. Let me make my case why you should go see it.
As always, there are absolutely no spoilers below
The Front Runner
A Beautiful Mosaic of Political Frenzy
As director Jason Reitman stepped to the podium to introduce his new movie, which was showing on the closing night of the Chicago Film Festival, he knew that many in the audience may not remember Gary Hart. He realized many more, like myself, didn't even know who he was.
Reitman didn't either, until three years ago when he heard a Rabiolab podcast about the 1988 presidential election. After obsessing over the pod and reading the corresponding book by Matt Bai, he knew there was a movie to be found in the material. But what struck him, he told us, was how many different characters and angles of the story interested him. It was as much about the journalists, the campaign staffers and family members as it was about Hart.
That was about the point where I began rolling my eyes as an audience member. Yeah, sure. I'm sure Reitman believes that, he has to, but this is really just a Hugh Jackman movie. Right?
Most people have a hard time telling one story well within a two hour run time, how is he going to tell four or five? This isn't a TV show, I told myself, where you can balance an A plot and a B plot and a C plot around an ensemble cast of characters.
Boy was I wrong. As it turns out this was very much like a TV show, in the best possible way. It might be helpful to think of it as the best two-hour episode of "The West Wing" ever. Somehow Reitman was able to make us as viewers care about nearly a dozen different people, all with different motivations, and give them each a moment to shine.
Whether its newsletter-favorite J.K. Simmons playing a weathered campaign manager, scene-stealing Molly Ephraim as a pawn in the campaign office, or Mamoudou Athie coming out of nowhere to play a conflicted Washington Post reporter, there are layers to the storytelling that allow for a really nuanced version of events (and don't think I forgot my favorite stand-up comedian Bill Burr, who plays a Miami Herald reporter!).
And the thing I was worried about, that all of these chess pieces would branch apart and conflict with one another, was never an issue, because all of the characters found their journeys overlapping inside of this single propulsive force of plot that is a political campaign. At an event the candidate is speaking, the staffers are strategizing, the media is there covering and so on. All of the individual stories melded into sort of beautiful, cohesive mosaic.
If all this sounds too...academic, you must not realize how energetic this movie is. Reitman described the pace as "phrenetic" and several scenes as "controlled madness," which are appropriate words to describe the chaos of any real life political rally.
"We wanted this film to feel as live as humanly possible," Reitman said, mentioning that at any given moment 15-20 characters all might have scripted dialogue. "The idea was we're going to throw so much dialogue at you that you can't listen to all of it at once, you have to pick."
The result is that everything in the movie feels very exciting and urgent, like there's literally not a moment to waste on waiting for someone else to finish talking. A million important decisions are being made, and have to be made right this second.
Some scenes are downright Sorkin-esque. There may not be the signature "walking and talking" of "The West Wing," but there's plenty of snappy dialogue and witty one-liners to keep you on your toes. Because of the drama and stakes of each situation, these moments of comedy are really effective.
Reitman acknowledges that all of this frenzy might make certain situations hard to follow, singling out his opening shot as an example where the camera roams around a plaza while the audience is desperately trying to figure out who to pay attention to. This is intentional.
"We wanted to establish real rooms where people are doing their jobs, and a lot of times you don't know exactly what's happening, but you can follow along," he said. The point seems to be that every different perspective matters in telling the tale of Gary Hart.
However, what really elevates this movie into one of the best of the year is how it plays with this pace. For all of the go-go-go moments, there are a handful of times where everything grinds to a halt. All of a sudden a scene will be very quiet and still for an emotional moment between two characters. In contrast to the craziness of everything else, these moments really suck you in. Whether it's between Hart and his wife, or mistress Donna Rice, there are these pockets of emotional sincerity that resonate.
Which brings us to one final issue that needs to be addressed, and that is the politics of the movie. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, it's impossible for a movie to come out and not be wrapped in controversy, no matter how innocuous the subject matter. And yet, despite the overtly political nature of the film, there's nothing too heavy-handed or partisan to be found. In fact, I found myself more intrigued by the ethical questions raised about journalism and the role of the media on public life.
Reitman made two things clear in his Q&A: 1) That this was not a documentary, and not meant to be, citing the journalist character of an example of someone who was made up as a composite of two real people, and 2) that he was Canadian, and therefore his political opinions don't matter.
"I didn't make the movie to tell people how to think."
Well, I'll tell you what I think. The Front Runner is one of the very best movies of the year.
The Candidate (1972)
The most obvious choice here is All The President's Men, but the film that Reitman says most inspired him in the making of his movie was another Robert Redford 1970s classic. This movie is criminally underrated, both as one of the best political dramas of all time and as one of Redford's very best performances. Seeing how this movie portrayed politics in the 70s, how The Front Runner shows the '80s, and the movie below described the late 90s/early 00s, it's a nice reminder that politics have always been over-the-top crazy.
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Netflix
As you know by now, there are two types of Denzel: movie star Denzel, and serious actor Denzel. This movie captures the latter, as he plays a PTSD-ridden war hero who is definitely paranoid and might actually be crazy. It's wild to say this about a remake of a 1962 movie that was originally based on a best-selling novel, but the movie is built around a wildly original plot. Throw in a supporting cast of Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep and Jon Voight, and count me in 10 times out of 10.
Next Week: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
If you couldn't tell by the name of my newsletter, I'm a massive Coen Brothers fan. They're my favorite filmmakers, and I've seen each of their movies dozens of times. Well guess what, as you're reading this there's a new Coens movie out, and it's being distributed exclusively on Netflix. So no excuses! Watch this movie this week and come back next week to read all about it.
Trailer Watch: Beach Bum
If you're the type of person who has ever wondered what would happen if they put Matthew McConaughey in a movie with Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron and Isla Fisher, or thought to yourself "gee, I wish there was a movie that combined Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Spring Breakers," I've got some good news. They made that movie! I really can't believe it's a real thing that is going to exist.