Synopsis
Primary Colors (1998) is a political drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Mike Nichols from a screenplay by Elaine May. John Travolta plays Governor Jack Stanton — a charismatic, empathetic, chronically unfaithful Southern politician whose 1992 presidential run maps closely onto Bill Clinton's, down to the accent and the appetite for trouble.
Young campaign manager Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) signs on believing he can keep things professional. That lasts about a week. Emma Thompson's Susan Stanton runs the operation with icy efficiency while her husband keeps setting fires, and Billy Bob Thornton shows up as the bare-knuckle strategist who is perfectly comfortable with the mess. Kathy Bates, as the devoted fixer Libby Hollistser, delivers the film's most raw performance — the one person who actually believes in the candidate and pays the highest price for it.
Nichols and May are not interested in indictment. Stanton is flawed and also genuinely gifted at connecting with people, which is what makes the film complicated and worth watching. No one comes out clean, but the film argues that may simply be the cost of running. Stream Primary Colors online on iFILM.
Starring
Comments 0