Movie Review #55 The Front Runner

The Front Runner (2018) Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, and Directed by Jason Reitman

Follow me around. I don’t care. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’d be very bored. Gary Hart 

As you get older and you reflect on your life you come to realize how important timing is, Jason Reitman probably thought in 2016 while filming The Front Runner he was on the right side of timing, then Trump happened and well the Gary Hart scandal of 1987 probably didn’t seem to big a deal to anyone anymore. Bill Dixon, Hart’s former campaign manager says it best: “It’s really hard to concentrate on a fictional thing when we have a racist, lying, evil president in office who appears to hate everyone who is not a heterosexual rich white man”.

Director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, and Young Adult) tells the story of the 1987 campaign of Presidential front runner Gary Hart (at one point he poled ahead of G.W. Bush by nearly 40 points), or at least the worst week of that campaign. Reitman one of my favorite working directors (he is working next on a Ghostbusters film!) does an amazing job skirting around ideas like what is interesting, what is right, and what is important to know about a candidate. He doesn’t do such a good job answering them though and, in a way, I think that is the best part of this film. It wants you to ask yourself these questions and then try to come to your own conclusions. The message might just be, don’t let the media decide for you what is important, you decide.  I think the film was unfairly criticized for not having a sharper meaning, people think it’s being evasive, but I found it very refreshing. For me it was at times a haunting film and after it was over, I asked myself questions like was Hart treated fairly, do I care that he may have cheated on his wife, and would I have voted for him anyway? All these questions are interesting to me and I believe if not for Trump’s election (his pre-white house scandals are too long to list) this movie may have been received better. 

Hugh Jackman plays Gary Hart rather well, his accent can be a tad off at times, but his stoic demeanor feels right for this film. J.K. Simmons (a frequent Jason Reitman partner) who plays Hart’s campaign manager doesn’t get a ton to do, but he is exceptional with the stuff he has. Vera Farmiga is also wonderful as Lee Hart (Gary’s wife), she has some of the best scenes in the film. Frankly I’m surprised this film didn’t get any Oscar buzz. The film has a tremendous supporting cast Mamoudou Athie, Josh Brener (from Silicon Valley), Alfred Molina, Bill Burr, Ari Graynor, and Chris Coy (from The Deuce) all perform admirably. The direction has a grainy 70’s vibe to it that really helps the cinematography and the music is also great. I am perhaps a little bias when it comes to Reitman films (after all Up in the air is my highest rated film since 2009: 8.5 on the Shawshank Scale and Juno is just a lovely film), but his style and choices often speak to me. I hope this film has a nice life on streaming, HBO, or VOD because it really is worth our time. Gary Hart and Bill Dixon have both been great contributors to society since the scandal and it is a shame that this is what they are most known for, that said I don’t think Reitman is rehashing old wounds just because he isn’t full throat scolding Hart or the media’s behavior in 1987, I think he is presenting a story that allows us to question who we are as a democracy and furthermore ask, who would we like to be. SEE IT! 

(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) In years past I truly believe this film is in the Oscar conversation, Reitman’s near flawless direction and smart script, along with the near perfect casting make The Front Runner worthy of a sturdy 6.5 on The Shawshank Scale, both this film and his earlier 2018 film Tully are must-see films of 2018 despite their lackluster box office performances. I think that recent lack of box office success may be what led him to take on the Ghostbusters 3 film, and frankly we all may benefit from that decision, because he is one of the best directors working today, the only guy I would rather direct that film is his dad Ivan. 

Ranking the Top 5 almost Presidential Candidates (cause why not!):

1. Howard Dean (an awkward scream ended his run, or was it the DNC again?) 

2. Bernie Sanders (it would’ve been amazing to see Bernie scream at a Mitch McConnell led Senate)

3. Joe Biden (the pride of Scranton Pennsylvania may still fall off this list)

4. Dennis Kucinich (He was Single-Payer before it was cool)

5. Bill Bradley (2 of my favorites Sen. Paul Wellstone and Secretary Robert Reich pushed for him over Gore and that was good enough for me)

Shouts: Ralph Nader who was a Presidential candidate and too often gets a bad rap for the 2000 election…see 2006’s IFC Documentary An Unreasonable Man then get back to me and tell me that he wouldn’t have made an incredible president.