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Primary Colors

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
29K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
John Travolta, Emma Thompson, and Adrian Lester in Primary Colors (1998)
Theatrical Trailer from Universal Pictures
Play trailer1:18
1 Video
91 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for President of the U.S.A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for President of the U.S.A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for President of the U.S.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
29K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mike Nichols
  • Writers
    • Joe Klein(novel)
    • Elaine May(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Emma Thompson
    • Kathy Bates
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mike Nichols
  • Writers
    • Joe Klein(novel)
    • Elaine May(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Emma Thompson
    • Kathy Bates
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 166User reviews
    • 104Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 31 nominations total

    Videos1

    Primary Colors
    Trailer 1:18
    Primary Colors

    Photos91

    John Travolta in Primary Colors (1998)
    John Travolta and Emma Thompson in Primary Colors (1998)
    John Travolta, Billy Bob Thornton, and Paul Guilfoyle in Primary Colors (1998)
    John Travolta and Adrian Lester in Primary Colors (1998)
    John Travolta and Adrian Lester in Primary Colors (1998)
    John Travolta in Primary Colors (1998)
    Mira Sorvino at an event for Primary Colors (1998)
    Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres at an event for Primary Colors (1998)
    Carrie Fisher at an event for Primary Colors (1998)
    Ellen Barkin at an event for Primary Colors (1998)
    Candice Bergen and Diane English at an event for Primary Colors (1998)
    Candice Bergen at an event for Primary Colors (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Travolta
    John Travolta
    • Governor Jack Stantonas Governor Jack Stanton
    Emma Thompson
    Emma Thompson
    • Susan Stantonas Susan Stanton
    Kathy Bates
    Kathy Bates
    • Libby Holdenas Libby Holden
    Larry Hagman
    Larry Hagman
    • Gov. Fred Pickeras Gov. Fred Picker
    Billy Bob Thornton
    Billy Bob Thornton
    • Richard Jemmonsas Richard Jemmons
    Adrian Lester
    Adrian Lester
    • Henry Burtonas Henry Burton
    Maura Tierney
    Maura Tierney
    • Daisyas Daisy
    Diane Ladd
    Diane Ladd
    • Mamma Stantonas Mamma Stanton
    Paul Guilfoyle
    Paul Guilfoyle
    • Howard Fergusonas Howard Ferguson
    Rebecca Walker
    • Marchas March
    Caroline Aaron
    Caroline Aaron
    • Lucille Kaufmanas Lucille Kaufman
    Tommy Hollis
    Tommy Hollis
    • Fat Willieas Fat Willie
    Rob Reiner
    Rob Reiner
    • Izzy Rosenblattas Izzy Rosenblatt
    Ben Jones
    Ben Jones
    • Arlen Sporkenas Arlen Sporken
    J.C. Quinn
    J.C. Quinn
    • Uncle Charlieas Uncle Charlie
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • Miss Walshas Miss Walsh
    Robert Klein
    Robert Klein
    • Norman Asheras Norman Asher
    Mykelti Williamson
    Mykelti Williamson
    • Dewayne Smithas Dewayne Smith
    • Director
      • Mike Nichols
    • Writers
      • Joe Klein(novel)
      • Elaine May(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Then-President Bill Clinton enjoyed this movie so much that he even invited John Travolta to a party, on one condition, he must come as Governor Jack Stanton. Travolta declined.
    • Goofs
      When watching the New Hampshire returns, one TV station says that Governor Stanton is still out campaigning on the street until the polls close while the other simultaneously says 15 percent of the vote has already been counted. Votes aren't counted until after the polls close.
    • Quotes

      Richard Jemmons: I'm blacker than you are. I got some slave in me, I can feel it.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Blues Brothers 2000/Illtown/The Replacement Killers (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Primrose Lane
      Written by Wayne Shanklin and George 'Red' Callender (as George Callender)

    User reviews166

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    More than a Satire on Clinton
    "Primary Colors" is about a fictional American politician named Jack Stanton and his attempt to obtain the Democratic Party's nomination for the Presidency. At least, it's ostensibly about a fictional politician. On another level, it is a film a clef about a real American politician named Bill Clinton and his attempt to obtain the Democratic Party's nomination for the Presidency in 1992. The parallels between Clinton and Stanton go much deeper than the deliberate similarity of their surnames. Like Clinton, Stanton is the Governor of a small Southern state. Like Clinton, he has an idealistic streak in his nature and a talent for putting his ideas across in a relaxed, folksy way. (Clinton should have inherited Reagan's title of "The Great Communicator"). And, like Clinton, he also has a talent for getting himself enmeshed in scandal, particularly of a sexual nature.

    Other players in the Clinton drama have their equivalents in the film. The Hillary-figure is Stanton's wife Susan, ever supportive and forgiving in public but in private much less ready to pardon her husband's misdemeanours. Stanton's campaign chief Richard Jemmons is presumably based upon James Carville, who fulfilled the same role for Clinton. Stanton's early rival Lawrence Harris parallels Paul Tsongas, who initially led the race for the Democratic nomination but later faded. There is a Gennifer Flowers (or Paula Jones) equivalent in the shape of Cashmere McCarthy, who claims that she had an affair with Stanton.

    Although Stanton is, in one sense, the pivotal character (if he were not running for President there would be no film), in another sense the main character is one of his campaign team, Henry Burton, the grandson of a noted black civil rights activist, as the action is seen though his eyes. Henry is an idealistic young man who is caught in two minds about his boss. On the one hand he admires Stanton for his drive and energy and his sincere determination to improve the lot of ordinary people. On the other hand, he is disillusioned with the corruption involved in politics and with the dirty tricks played both against Stanton and on his behalf. The audience are often in two minds about Stanton as well, as he seems to be a fifty-fifty mixture of sincerity and sleaze.

    I have never read the novel (originally credited to "Anonymous", but now known to have been written by Joe Klein) on which the film is based, but from what I have heard Stanton was considerably less sympathetic in the book than he appears in the film. (Perhaps traditionally liberal Hollywood did not want to give the Democratic Party too rough a ride). As portrayed by John Travolta, Stanton is in many ways a likable figure, whose flaws are outweighed by his good qualities. Besides his sincere idealism he also shows courage (he tells an audience of unemployed New England shipyard workers that there are no easy answers to their economic problems). In the first half of the film, in particular, it seemed that the film-makers wanted to acquit Stanton (and by implication Clinton) of any serious wrongdoing. Cashmere McCarthy, for example, is exposed as a liar (her surname is presumably borrowed from the notorious Senator who specialised in smearing his opponents) and a supposedly incriminating tape as a fake. Clinton must have wished that the Flowers, Jones and Lewinsky affairs could have been explained away as easily. There is a reference to Whitewater in the shape of the "Freshwater affair", but this is attributed not to Stanton but to one of his opponents.

    In the second half of the film, the plot starts to diverge more from real events. Stanton is hit by a second sex scandal, potentially more damaging than any of those Clinton faced, as it involves allegations that he fathered a child by an under-aged girl. In reality, Clinton had a fairly easy ride to the Democratic nomination, but the film-makers obviously wanted to introduce a greater element of drama, as Stanton faces a tough challenge from a late entrant in the race, Fred Picker, the Governor of Florida. (Picker is not based on any actual politician). The climax of the story comes when the Stanton camp discover evidence that Picker, hitherto regarded as scandal-free, has been involved in cocaine-taking and a gay relationship. This presents Stanton and his aides with a moral dilemma; do they use this information to discredit Picker or do they bury it (with the attendant risk that the Republicans might discover it if Picker becomes the Democratic candidate)?

    The film is helped by some excellent acting. Travolta is an actor who seems constantly to be re-inventing himself, particularly since "Pulp Fiction" took his career in a new direction, and Stanton is one of his best performances, clearly based upon Clinton but different enough to emerge as a character in his own right. Larry Hagman makes a plausibly charismatic Picker, proving that there is more to him than JR and "I Dream of Jeannie". Special mentions must also go to Emma Thompson's long-suffering Susan, Billy Bob Thornton's Jemmons, a hard-bitten, cynical practitioner of Realpolitik, and, above all, Kathy Bates as Libby, another Stanton aide. Some actresses would have struggled to make Libby- a tough, foul-mouthed lesbian recently released from a mental hospital who at one point threatens to shoot a man in the genitals- anything more than an over-the-top caricature, but Bates manages the difficult task of making her a believable character. Her "Best Supporting Actress" nomination was well deserved.

    One reviewer complains that "Travolta does a poor Clinton impression", but despite its obvious relation to real events, "Primary Colors" is more than just a satire on Bill Clinton and his associates. It is a wider satire on American politics in general and a drama that asks some difficult questions about political morality. 7/10
    helpful•4
    0
    • JamesHitchcock
    • Nov 1, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 20, 1998 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • France
      • Germany
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hebrew
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Основні кольори
    • Filming locations
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • Award Entertainment
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • H2L Media Group
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $65,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $39,001,187
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,045,395
      • Mar 22, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $52,090,187
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • DTS
      • DTS-Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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