Primary Colors (film)
Encyclopedia
Primary Colors is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols
and starring John Travolta
based on the popular book of the same name (a success fueled in part by speculation over the identity of the then-anonymous author, Joe Klein). The film also starred Emma Thompson
, Billy Bob Thornton
, Kathy Bates
and Adrian Lester
. Bates was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for her performance, and the film itself was nominated for an Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay.
state who decides to run for President
. The film follows Stanton's bumbling, philandering and plotting as he rises to the top of American politics. The movie is loosely based on aspects of President Bill Clinton
's life during his first run for President in 1992.
At the Cannes Festival, Thompson said she did not base her film character on Hillary Clinton while Travolta said he based his on several presidents, but mostly on Bill Clinton.
Director Nichols was criticized for cutting an interracial love scene from the final version of the film. He responded that he had removed the scene because of unfavorable reactions from a preview audience.
The film also generated controversy, partly for its depiction of a Clinton-like character as it was also released close to the Lewinsky scandal
.
s reviewer called it a "film à clef
" and said that the American public was likely to accept it as a factual account because it so closely mirrored real life characters and events. The Los Angeles Times gave high marks to the movie, noting Travolta's close mirroring of Bill Clinton, but describing Thompson's character as actually not based on Hillary Clinton. Entertainment Weekly
called Travolta "Clintonian". The Cincinnati Enquirer gave accolades to the character portrayals of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Syndicated reviewer Roger Ebert
said the movie was "insightful and very wise about the realities of political life" and the Cincinnati Enquirer said the movie was a "nuanced dissection of how real American politics work". According to a review in The Deseret News, the last half of the movie dragged, Travolta's performance seemed more like an impersonation than actual acting, the movie lacked subtlety or depth, and it was loaded with cheap and obvious jokes.
Only taking $39,001,187 at the Domestic Box Office and $13,089,000 in Foreign ones, for a worldwide total gross of $52,090,187 against a budget of $65 million.
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
and starring John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
based on the popular book of the same name (a success fueled in part by speculation over the identity of the then-anonymous author, Joe Klein). The film also starred Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
, Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
and Adrian Lester
Adrian Lester
-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
. Bates was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance, and the film itself was nominated for an Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay.
Plot
Jack Stanton (Travolta) is the charismatic governor of a southernSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
state who decides to run for President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
. The film follows Stanton's bumbling, philandering and plotting as he rises to the top of American politics. The movie is loosely based on aspects of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's life during his first run for President in 1992.
Cast
- John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
- Governor Jack Stanton - Emma ThompsonEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
- Susan Stanton - Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
- Richard Jemmons - Kathy BatesKathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
- Libby Holden - Adrian LesterAdrian Lester-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
- Henry Burton - Maura TierneyMaura TierneyMaura Therese Tierney is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.-Early life:...
- Daisy Green - Larry HagmanLarry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
- Governor Fred Picker - Diane LaddDiane LaddDiane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and published author. She has appeared in over 120 roles, on television, and in miniseries and feature films, including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , Wild at Heart , Rambling Rose , Ghosts of Mississippi, Primary Colors, 28 Days , and...
- Mamma Stanton - Paul GuilfoylePaul GuilfoylePaul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
- Howard Ferguson - Rebecca WalkerRebecca WalkerRebecca Walker is an American writer. She has been named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 future leaders of America.-Early life:...
- March Cunningham - Caroline AaronCaroline AaronCaroline Aaron is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her role as acid-tongued talk show host Mary Pat Lee on Wings.-Personal life:...
- Lucille Kaufman - Tommy HollisTommy HollisTommy Hollis was an American actor. A native of Jacksonville, Texas, he starred as Earl Little in the Spike Lee-directed movie Malcolm X . He died in New York City of a heart attack.-External links:...
- William "Fat Willie" McCullison - Rob ReinerRob ReinerRobert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
- Izzy Rosenblatt - Ben L. Jones - Arlen Sporken
- J. C. QuinnJ. C. QuinnJ.C. Quinn was an American film and theatre actor. His acting career included stage, television and film television roles.-Career:...
- Uncle Charlie - Allison JanneyAllison JanneyAllison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
- Miss Walsh - Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
- Norman Asher - Mykelti WilliamsonMykelti WilliamsonMichael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
- Dewayne Smith - Geraldo RiveraGeraldo RiveraGeraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
- himself - Charlie RoseCharlie RoseCharles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
- himself - Larry KingLarry KingLawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
- himself - Bill MaherBill MaherWilliam "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...
- himself - Sophia ChoiSophia ChoiSophia Choi is an American news broadcaster at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Sophia Choi was born in Taegu, Korea. She moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, and attended Hollywood Elementary School in Hollywood, Maryland. After her father's death when she was 12, she moved to Memphis,...
- herself - Chelcie RossChelcie RossChelcie Claude Ross is an American character actor. He served in Vietnam as an officer in the United States Air Force, and earned an MFA from the Dallas Theater Center.-Filmography:*Skokie *On the Right Track...
- Charlie Martin - Tony ShalhoubTony ShalhoubAnthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...
- Eddie Reyes - John VargasJohn VargasJohn Vargas is an American actor best known for his role in the films Primary Colors and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.-Early life:John Vargas was born in the Bronx, New York and moved to Puerto Rico when his father was killed in Vietnam. He was accepted into the Air Force Academy upon finishing...
- Lorenzo Delgado - Gia CaridesGia CaridesGia Carides is an Australian actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Liz Holt in Strictly Ballroom, Susy Connor in Brilliant Lies, and Cousin Nikki in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.-Early life:...
- Cashmere McLeod
Production
Following the publication of the book in 1996, director Mike Nichols paid more than $1 million for the screen rights.At the Cannes Festival, Thompson said she did not base her film character on Hillary Clinton while Travolta said he based his on several presidents, but mostly on Bill Clinton.
Director Nichols was criticized for cutting an interracial love scene from the final version of the film. He responded that he had removed the scene because of unfavorable reactions from a preview audience.
The film also generated controversy, partly for its depiction of a Clinton-like character as it was also released close to the Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
.
Reception
The movie received a mixed reception from critics. Variety'Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s reviewer called it a "film à clef
Film à clef
A film à clef or film à clé , is a film describing real life, behind a façade of fiction. "Key" in this context means a table one can use to swap out the names.It is the film equivalent of the roman à clef.-Notable films à clef:...
" and said that the American public was likely to accept it as a factual account because it so closely mirrored real life characters and events. The Los Angeles Times gave high marks to the movie, noting Travolta's close mirroring of Bill Clinton, but describing Thompson's character as actually not based on Hillary Clinton. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Travolta "Clintonian". The Cincinnati Enquirer gave accolades to the character portrayals of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Syndicated reviewer Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
said the movie was "insightful and very wise about the realities of political life" and the Cincinnati Enquirer said the movie was a "nuanced dissection of how real American politics work". According to a review in The Deseret News, the last half of the movie dragged, Travolta's performance seemed more like an impersonation than actual acting, the movie lacked subtlety or depth, and it was loaded with cheap and obvious jokes.
Box office
The film gained disappointing box office takings.Only taking $39,001,187 at the Domestic Box Office and $13,089,000 in Foreign ones, for a worldwide total gross of $52,090,187 against a budget of $65 million.