The Politician's Husband (2013) User Reviews (17)

Expect the Brits to dump all over their own political system. They do it well.

[siderite · 8/10 · 15 June 2013]

As fan of David Tennant's and Emily Watson's work I couldn't pass on the opportunity to watch this miniseries. In a way it reminded me of Secret State, but it was less flamboyant while being a lot more visceral. This is the story of a successful politician who gambles on his way to power. He loses, allowing his wife, until then staying in his shadow, and his backstabbing friend to rise to the top of the political hierarchy. As a result he cannot stop plotting to get himself back to where he has fallen from, only losing everything else on the way up.

A nice cautionary tale, a criticism of the political system in Britain (and everywhere else, really) and brilliant acting. The problem with the story, though, was that one could not sympathize with any of the characters. David Tennant's interpretation of an obsessive politician is brilliant, but who can really identify with it other than the psychopaths that enter politics in the first place?

Bottom line: a good movie, but at one moment I couldn't wait for it to be over and the finale was not really something that inspired me.

A welcome Political drama.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 10 August 2018]

The Politician's Husband is a very enjoyable three part mini series, which delves into the murky world of Westminster, the backstabbing and willingness to sell anyone out to get to the top, at the cost of anything and anyone.

The story is good, if I'm absolutely honest I think it started better then it finished, Part one promised a tale of revenge and seething jealousy, we got it for the most part, but I felt a little short changed in the concluding episode. Plenty going on, at times a little too much, it's almost as if they tried cramming in to many twists, au pairs, drowning children etc.

The acting was extraordinary, very much The BBC at is best, Emily Watson and David Tennant both fantastic, and worthy of their individual statuses as superb talents. A word also for Jack Shepherd, Ed Stoppard and Roger Allam, all excellent.

I applaud them for giving us a Political drama, a genre are starved of on British screens, it's a good story, with amazing performances, it just perhaps loses a little focus in the end. Worth a look though, 8/10

Fantastic political drama tarnished briefly by unrealistic ending

[michaelmlast · 8/10 · 2 December 2015]

The Politician's Husband featured a fantastic performance by David Tennant as the manipulative politician and husband. I thought Emily Watson's performance was decent, but her character seemed a bit one-dimensional. This could have been due to how the character was written. Either way, the story was engaging from start to finish. The side plot involving their home life and special needs child was engaging, and I believe would have been the perfect instrument to properly end the mini series.

*Spoilers Below This Line* After the death of Aiden's father, Freya makes plans to take the kids away so that her husband can collect his things and move out of the house. As he sits at the kitchen table, distraught from all of his recent losses, his son (diagnosed with Aspergers) slowly approaches and hands him a toy, before leaving the room. I think this would have been the best way to end the series, as it finished the parallel between Aiden and his son Noah. Earlier in the episode, Aiden's father had remarked how Aiden was given a son who was incapable of deception, and that he (Aiden's father) was given one to whom it was second nature.

To have the series end with Noah trying to show compassion or empathy for his father (which is exceedingly difficult for a child with Aspergers), it would have highlighted Aiden's own selfishness and tied a neat little bow around this drama.

Instead, the next few minutes revealed a startling "twist", where Aiden and Freya have been named Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister - the final reveal being that Freya is actually the one elected as PM. While it's a fun thought, it was a little too unrealistic for me. It didn't seem to match the rest of the story.

Regardless, this is still one of my favorite political dramas so far.

... an unfortunate way to come to a conclusion

[bjarias · 6/10 · 22 July 2014]

It's mentioned somewhere that if you can 'dream it up', well then, it could possibly happen... that might be true except in this instance. For most of the three episodes things moved along fairly believably... except that it was somewhat difficult seeing the to leads together for a majority of the time. Don't know what it really was, but they just did not at all gel together. Anyway, we then arrive at the final few minutes, and all credibility is chucked completely out the window, with an ending so ludicrous it defies all logic. Hope this is not a growing trend, for this is now the second production viewed in succession that completely challenges in similar manner the intelligence of its' audience. Could easily have 'dreamed up' a couple different scenarios that would have better matched the preceding material.

An excellent example of a political drama

[pattio422 · 9/10 · 18 July 2013]

I had this for two days before sitting down to watch, mainly because of the reviews I had read and the spoilers that turned me off to some aspects of the movie. When will I learn? I bought it because David Tennant is an excellent actor and that is the only way I get to see most of his work here in the states. Aiden Hoynes is a politician to his fingertips, but he is also a husband, one who feels that his wife betrayed him and I think his reactions were realistic. It is strange that a woman wrote this and yet the woman is the character who is lacking. She is simply a female version of her husband, yet she keeps trying to hold him to a standard that she does not cleave to herself. Who is she in love with? After she basically calls off her marriage because her husband brings down his ex-best-friend whom had betrayed him and tried to seduce her I lost all sympathy for her. I think at that point every woman in a good marriage watching the movie knew that she cared more about her career and herself than she did anything else, yes she could have been brought down at the same time but didn't she help to contribute to his fall? I did not like how the movie ended because it left their relationship too ambiguous. Freya also reminded me way too much of Hilary Clinton. On the surface this looks like a ruthless husband trying to hold his wonderful wife back, I think the end supports my viewpoint - it is the story of an ambitious woman who sends her husband out to get shot first and take care of the bad guys leaving her free to enjoy the life insurance - luckily for Aiden she can't get rid of him that easily. I am looking forward to watching it again for the nuances that I always miss when I'm watching to see what happens next.

Brilliant drama, David Tennant was extraordinary

[tgagbradley · 10/10 · 13 June 2013]

Brilliant drama, a gripping and extraordinary film about politics, power, and political marriages. David Tennant (Aiden Hoynes) and Emily Watson (Freya Hoynes) are brilliant in this film, in roles that are not typical for either one as their characters are not nice people. In fact most of the characters in this film are not nice people. David Tennant portrays Aiden with a very sinister side but with a touch of humanity. Almost all the really emotional scenes belong to Tennant who portrays them with perfection. Emily Watson is brilliant but could have portrayed a little more emotion. Ed Stoppard as Bruce Babbish is chilling, with friends like that you don't need enemies. The performances by all the actors are outstanding. Many of the tender moments in this film are between Aiden and his father, and Aiden and his son. Be aware that their are some strong sexual references in this film and including one very violet sex act at the beginning of part 2 between Tennant and Watson. A very good look at the seedy side of politics. The ending could have been a little better and the dialog could have been better,well worth watching and owning.

so is this it?

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 2 April 2015]

"The Politician's Husband" is a 2013 miniseries out of England, starring David Tennant and Emily Watson.

I'm unclear if this is supposed to be a series or just a miniseries - certainly the ending indicated it's a miniseries.

Anyway, it's the story of Aiden Hoynes (David Tennant), a senior cabinet minister who shoots himself in the foot politically with a leadership bid, and his friend Bruce Babbish (Ed Stoppard), another higher-up, does not support him.

Hoynes' wife, Freya, has always stood in her husband's shadow and concentrated on the family, a severely autistic son and a daughter.

When Freya has a chance to become a cabinet minister, Aiden is all for it, believing that at the right opportunity, she can support his immigration bill, a stab in the back to the government.

After getting a taste of power, however, Freya goes on television, the perfect opportunity to say she agrees with her husband, and doesn't agree with him.

Very good drama about politics behind the scenes, with both Tennant and Watson giving excellent performances. I have to say in most instances, I don't think times have changed that much, and that the miniseries is realistic in that the husband would definitely mind being overshadowed by his wife in the same profession.

The rest of it is more the stuff of drama, and I did like it, as Aiden becomes more convinced that his wife has aligned with his now-enemy Bruce both politically and physically. What looked like a strong "fairytale" marriage starts to unravel, with Aiden exhibiting sexual violence toward Freya, and there are accusations of infidelity that hit the press.

I found Tennant especially good as the manipulative husband; in a way, it's a stronger part.

Highly recommended.

Sexually Explosive Political Drama

[jlthornb51 · 10/10 · 29 April 2015]

Emily Watson is fantastic in this tremendous British political drama. As the wife of an ambitious politician played by David Tennant, she gives what is nothing less than the performance of a lifetime. Ms. Watson exudes sexuality and her quiet beauty and stunning eyes are completely mesmerizing. In several sequences she virtually sets the screen afire with her volcanic but subdued passion. It is amazing to watch her create a character that is incredibly desirable and stunningly sensual while at the same time being strong willed and seemingly made of steel. Speaking volumes with just those magnificent eyes, she conveys more emotion in a glance than 50 pages of exposition. This is a character who is all woman and then some and there is no doubt regarding her prowess in the bedroom. However, she is equally adept in the cabinet room and her strength as a leader even surpasses her carnal appetites. Watson is the only actress who could manage this and it's wondrous to see. It is no wonder she is so acclaimed as an actor and after so many superb performances that she remains the most respected actress of our time. It doesn't seem possible that she could exceed herself with every role but she does so in film after film as her career continues to astound.

Not as Good as I would have hoped

[trimmer31 · 3/10 · 7 August 2014]

Let me preface this by saying that David Tennant's portrayal of Aiden was masterful and, while I feel Emily Watson was poorly cast here, her effort as Freya was very well done, as well.

However -- either the writing was weak, or this was a 6 hour miniseries cut down to three. So much is missing. So much is there and makes you ask yourself, why?

The son... what role does he play? Having a child with challenges like this, there was so much character development, for the child as well as for his parents, that could have gone on around this story arc that... didn't. The daughter? Other than the fact of the existence of children in the home (and the nanny being a presence), there is little development here.

Many of the plot lines simply... end... without any closure. What happened with the nanny? What happened with the son's challenges at school and elsewhere? What was the purpose of Aiden's father's death?

I feel that this could have been so much better, had only they taken the time to tell the story in more depth, or not left so many arcs hanging. How do you go from "I'll take the children away so you can move out," in one scene, to arrival at #10 as an obviously estranged but "united front in front of the cameras" power couple in the next?

As I said, the story, while brilliantly acted, was choppy; either poorly written, or half of it is still laying on the editing room floor.

An Emily Watson Triumph by Stunned Reviewer!

[JohnLeeT · 10/10 · 3 June 2013]

In a performance that sets the small screen blindingly ablaze, so powerful that she turns our screens into pulsating, living organisms, Emily Watson proves that she has now, along with the award winning master work Appropriate Adult, conquered television and made the medium her own, as she has with motion picture greatness. From the moment the camera focuses on her, this film comes alive and her presence stuns the audience with the superb work she does as the wife of a British politician with her own ambitions. She is nothing short of brilliant in the role and it is unfortunate that her magnificence as an actor tends to highlight David Tenant's inadequacies. He definitely puts in a tremendous effort to equal Watson and his hard work reveals too much of how difficult it is for him and how futile it is. Watson is a national treasure and a gift to stage, screen, and now television audiences worldwide. There is no one who can deny that and Tenant must realize he is in way over his head and his reach is beyond his grasp. Watson attempts to lift him up to her own level and she is most gracious in trying desperately not to overshadow him. She is a generous actor and she has succeeded in bringing out the best in others, as in the case of even Adam Sandler. However, here it simply doesn't work and what she faces is even beyond her genius. The weakness in this piece is not only on the shoulders of a weak co-star, but a less than stellar director, and an obvious script. However, what Ms. Watson does in her portrayal of a lovely woman coming into her own and letting her talent lead her to the top of a male dominated environment is tremendous and borders on the purely astonishing. Emily Watson demonstrates again that she is the greatest actor working in any medium and that has been the case since her stunning debut in 1997's Oscar nominated Breaking the Waves. Anyone who walked away from that searing performance without having their soul touched to the very core is absent a soul altogether. As the years pass, her career spotlights her growing excellence, her maturing beauty, and utter command of every role she takes on. Anyone who appreciates greatness and recognizes superb talent must see this film if only for Emily Watson's exemplary performance, another triumph of the finest actor ever to step before a camera.

8/12/2014 One can not help but be stunned by the uninformed voting of 28 people and the artistic appreciation of only two! Breathtaking!

Oscar Kennedy can act anything.

[rossgary · 10/10 · 29 April 2020]

Oscar Kennedy was his usual natural self & that natural air of comedy & tragedy that enthrals me.

Politics in the family

[safenoe · 9/10 · 19 January 2022]

Being a fan of Yes, Prime Minister and Yes, Minister, I was drawn to The Politician's Husband and I wasn't disappointed.

It's not for everyone. If you're into wallowing in TV shows with politicians swearing every second beat then stay away please. Anyway, one scene which impressed me was when Freya Gardner (Emily Watson) coveted the Prime Minister's chair in the cabinet room. I don't know how much rehearsal Emily did for it, but that alone was worth a clutch of acting awards.

Perhaps The Politician's Husband can be rebooted with the Politicians played by acclaimed English actor Danny Dyer.

House of Cards meets Good Wife but not in a good way

[castricv · 3/10 · 3 June 2016]

LEt me say first that I am a big fan of both the leads. Tenant will always be Doctor Who for me after Tom Baker and Watson is fantastic. Only problem? We've seen this backroom politic drama before and almost always done better. Whether it is the deliciously evil House of Cards (UK) or in drama form in the Good Wife n the US, so I really wanted a new spin or feel.

Didn't get that. Tenant's motivation are sound, but in no real way would it have happened like this. He either makes a push knowing there will be huge backing or at least have a fail safe. IN this case there were none and he is left to try a back handed way at prominence again through his wife. OK fine. It's well acted, but mostly soulless. The autistic son could have been compelling, but is mostly left for easy emotional pulls later (more on this).

There are non-affairs, political maneuvering that is beneath the intelligence of the film, and too literal analogies between their sex life and their current political status. It seems made for those who get their news from The Sun and can't sit through House of Cards.

My biggest problem is that even with the plodding through 4 hours they ACTUALLY HAD the right ending!! If only they had stopped it after his autistic son gives him the toy at the diner table. It was a complete illustration of how ambition and lies can destroy your soul and your family. He lost everything for nothing and couldn't see all the good around him until it was too late. I almost felt the show vindicated itself with that ending.....

But no. They have to add this strange pc ending where they both are magically in power and she is prime minister and he is on HER cabinet. For shame. The point was not to have her make it to the top and him drag along. It was to show them as both miserable people who have self imposed this upon themselves and we are all worse off for these people in power. What a missed opportunity. Or perhaps England has gotten so nihilistic that it cannot see higher truth anymore?? Ahwell. 5/10

Gratuitous Sexual Violence

[alrodbel · 1/10 · 30 March 2015]

I love political drama. The West Wing was absorbing, and Borgen, the brutally realistic depiction of the first woman P.M of Denmark, including the breakup of their marriage and rather genuine depiction of lust was brilliant.

This series that we watched in one sitting on Netflix, did have some structure of political reality, yet there was a single scene, one of sexuality as assaultive hatred, of the husband brutalizing his wife, that certainly was "realistic." Yet, there was no warning, nor was there any realism that was consistent with their status and relationship.

It was just thrown in to attract a certain audience who considers this as being edgy I write this review to warn others that this is not an "adult" themed film, but excess in the form of realism. I'm no prude, but this scene was sickening and destroyed the film for myself and my wife.

Something was missing

[ms_kah · 5/10 · 4 September 2014]

No one does political drama like the Brits (either on screen or in real life) but this felt like a drama half-written. A good cast with solid performances, but no-one's motives were clear, the twists were not especially surprising and the ending was pretty weak. Whenever there was a chance for confrontation or explanation, it was smothered in a tepid passionless bedroom scene. (And could wardrobe only afford ONE nightie for Emily, or did her character wear the same negligee for months on end?) Plot threads were left dangling, characters were introduced but not explained and scenes seem to stop mid-stream.

Shame of it is, this could have been a strong role for a woman but it was an opportunity lost.

They needed Malcolm Tucker to sort them all out.

Everyone is ready for their close-up

[perfect_peony · 5/10 · 24 January 2017]

You can tell how evil or - can't really say "good", let's settle for "less evil" - a person is by the length and intensity of their glares.

It's as if John Barrymore and Gloria Swanson were brought in as acting coaches.

Worsened by head-scratching plot developments such as throwing out a diaphragm but leaving its box in the medicine cabinet (huh?).

Oh, and these high-achieving politicians haven't mastered the basic use of a shredder, yet.

So if you can buy all that, maybe you'll like the show. I didn't and was lol-ing my way through the end.

It passed the time, but I am only lukewarm about it

[kimmgould · 5/10 · 8 February 2021]

I think my main issue with this was that none of the characters were particularly likeable. So I found I didn't much care what happened to any of them. My favourite character was the grandfather. Second thing, the title gives the clue that this is an exploration of what happens to a man when he becomes the husband of a successful politician, rather than a successful politician in his own right. It all seemed so 1980's, I feel like that horse has bolted, and the politics were dated as well, the same old same old political games. I watched it because, well Emily Watson and David Tenant, what could possibly go wrong? But I was only lukewarm all the way through.