Primary Colors: Travolta’s controversial, barely ‘fictional’ Clinton-inspired dramedy turns 25

Primary Colors (M, 138mins) Directed by Mike Newell **½

When the “novel of politics” Primary Colors was first released in early 1996, it caused a great deal of controversy.

Despite revolving around a group of fictional characters, it was seen as a thinly veiled “insight” into Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential Campaign.

Originally written anonymously (the author was eventually revealed to be Clinton-aide Joe Klein), it detailed illicit sexual liaisons, ruthless spin-doctoring and excessive amounts of doughnut consumption.

Initially, Hollywood ignored it, but as the 42nd President of the United States’ extra-curricular activities began to dominate the headlines more than his involvement in domestic and foreign affairs, it became too much of a temptation to resist.

And so, in 1998, we got a cinematic version of Klein’s Southern Governor Jack Stanton in the post-Phenomenon and Get Shorty form of John Travolta. Vying for the Democratic nomination for America’s Commander-in-Chief, Stanton possesses an ability to manipulate the average voter which is only matched by his appetite for both food and women.

Standing by him throughout all the turmoil is wife Susan (Emma Thompson), who sometimes seems more driven for her husband to get the top job than he is.

But, saddled with a tarnished past that includes draft dodging and alleged affairs with hairdressers, Stanton will need a crack campaign team of spin doctors and political fixers if he is to have any hope of getting anywhere near the Oval Office.

While caught somewhere between the heartwarming The American President and the hilarious political parody Bob Roberts (but not nearly as compelling as either) from earlier in the decade, credit director Mike Nichols (The Birdcage, The Graduate) with creating a fictional political world that seems remarkably real.

Likewise, Travolta’s Stanton, dodgy Southern accent aside, was such a ringer for Clinton (including the then middle-age spread) that one wondered at the time if he might be the next actor to do a Ronald Reagan. Battlefield Earth, a couple of years later, pretty much put paid to that and Travolta’s mainstream acting career.

Around him, Thompson’s Susan is a good study of Hilary Clinton and comes complete with a far-more convincing twang, while Billy Bob Thornton, Larry Hagman and Kathy Bates are all excellent as, respectively, a spin doctor, Stanton’s main rival and a political fixer.

Twenty-five years on though – and the problem apparent at the time of its release has only exacerbated. Unless you are particularly interested in US politics (and especially what was happening in the early ‘90s), you are likely to be bored senseless by this.

An impressive cast, juicy subject-matter (that makes for an interesting forewarning and comparison to the Trump Presidency) – this should still make for compelling viewing, but it just lacks any kind of real spark.

In retrospect, Newell probably should have followed Roberts’ Tim Robbins, rather than President’s Rob Reiner’s lead and shot this documentary-style, rather than with a dramatic Hollywood sheen.

Later TV dramas like The West Wing and The Good Wife showed us exactly how this kind of material could be handled – to compelling and addictive effect. By playing the political satire straight, Newell and screenwriter Elaine May (Heaven Can Wait, The Birdcage) drained Primary Colors of all its potential vibrancy, leaving only a bland dramedy in its place.

Primary Colors is now available to rent from Neon.