I’m having a difficult time reviewing this movie. When I asked myself if I liked it, I had no answer. It bored me; it made me despise politicians even more, and now I think there is a lot of shadiness in journalism. Thanks, Hollywood. This movie is all about people doing whatever they want, whenever they want, and not worrying about the outcome until they get caught.
Then it turns into a blood bath to cover your own a$$.
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I sensed that they were portraying Hart in a favorable manner, but I’ve got to say Hart deserved what he got. A man that was campaigning about morals and doing things the right way, and in the very next breath sleeps with some young girl, and no, she wasn’t the first — with no thought about his wife sitting at home — should NOT be our President.
I get the theme here. Does a politician’s personal life deserve to be in the public eye? Umm, yes. My husband and I sat outside the theater and debated about this question for an hour. We agreed to disagree.
I’m not going to keep ranting about the ethics of politicians here, but I will state it burned me up. I’m still on fire about it. That leads me to the question: why did they make this movie? What relevance does this have today? It was decades ago. A guy wanted to be President but then cheated on his wife and got caught. Boo-hoo. He gets mad about it? Really? What did he expect? Should the journalists just roll over and say, “It’s okay Gary — no one cares what you do. We’ll just go and report on something useful and pertinent to the American people.”
I would give this movie an F, but if I take out my absolute distaste for the events that led up to this and think about it in a cinematic point of view, I’m going to give it a B. Hugh Jackman did an amazing job making me hate Gary Hart. Vera Farmiga did another splendid job in playing that man’s wife. J.K. Simmons was also at his best; I enjoyed his role immensely.
I am not recommending this movie; it was a total waste of my time and gave me heartburn. A thought occurred to me as I fell asleep last night: my tax dollars, my hard earned money, pays their salaries. We the people are literally footing the bill to the shenanigans we call our government. Sure, there are a few good politicians, but as we will be reminded a few years after Hart that these men we call our Presidents definitely didn’t learn from his mistakes. I think I’ll sit back now, relax and smoke a cigar.
Grade: B
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Jill Florio Administrator
I never followed Gary Hart and his story, but he doesn’t seem worth the celluloid to record this. I’m starting to develop a slow burn about movies based on a true story. Do dramas and biographies HAVE to have their protagonists be either unappealing, or to have someone die in the end? I could name infinite dramas that either pull on the heartstrings, or deal with suicide/death and the emotional ramifications. But very few dramas succeed on regular stakes. I’m thinking for an drama genre example here that doesn’t…:The Color Purple is the only one that comes to mind. Someone help me out here.
Christene Johnson Editor
I agree with every word you say Jilly. I want to put this out there real quick, Green Book accomplishes telling a true story while not giving us all of the negative aspects that all these other movies are throwing down our throats. Yes it has negative and sad items happen but it’s rectified in a beautiful way. It was a lovely movie.