Primary Colors (R, 1998)

Jack Stanton (John Travolta), the charismatic governor of an unnamed southern state, is going for the Democratic presidential nomination. He persuades naive Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) to come on board as an assistant campaign manager. Burton is the son of a late, heroic Civil Rights leader, and it's through his eyes that the story unfolds. Jack's tightly wound wife Susan (Emma Thompson) doesn't care that her husband cheats on her, as long as it's out of the spotlight. During the campaign, the Stanton team claims that they aren't going to "go negative" with attack ads. But privately they do whatever's necessary to get Jack his party's nomination. When Jack panders to Jewish voters by claiming that his rival won't support Israel, the opponent suffers a heart attack. Replacing him is Fred Picker (Larry Hagman), a political figure beloved and admired, even by one of Stanton's top strategists, Libby (Kathy Bates). Henry and Libby investigate Picker's past and find a lurid scandal that would ruin him. Will the Stantons use it? Especially with Jack facing further charges of adultery and draft-dodging?

PRIMARY COLORS started out life as a best-selling novel written by an anonymous author who seemed to be writing a disguised-insider account of the Bill Clinton administration. The film is hardly kid stuff either. It's talky, jumpy, foulmouthed, and -- while a showcase of great acting -- seems anchored in late-1990s scandal, since the screen version makes the Clinton parallels stronger than ever. The messages about comprising your integrity and taking the low road to attain a goal can too easily be dismissed as being relevant only to one particular past White House occupant. But they should rightfully be applied to every politician seeking office.

Travolta is astounding -- his Jack Stanton can go from skirt-chasing scoundrel to an inspirational, Kennedy-esque figure in one breath. Henry is a rather weakly drawn figure who also carries on his own casual love affairs. It's Libby -- a self-described crazy lesbian -- who turns out to be the conscience of the movie, lambasting the Stantons over their cynical scheming and the loss of their idealism. But the argument is also made that U.S. presidents all the way back to Lincoln have lied and played dirty to get into the White House, and that the ends justified their means.

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Emma Thompson, John Travolta
Genre: Drama
Run time: 144 minutes
Theatrical release: March 20, 1998
DVD release: September 9, 1998
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: profanity, sex talk, adult themes.