The Front Runner

Starring:Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Mark O'Brien, Molly Ephraim, Chris Coy, Alex Karpovsky, Josh Brener, Alfred Molina, Ari Graynor, Bill Burr, Kevin Pollak
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In 1987, Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) is the front runner to be nominated to run for President of the United States. Unexpected events threaten to derail his campaign.

Review:
Tim: I'm a fairly big fan of political movies, especially ones based on real life. I was intrigued by The Front Runner, and I didn't know much about Gary Hart's campaign and I was interested to see the collaboration between Hugh Jackman and director Jason Reitman.

Reitman has done some really impressive work. I was a huge fan of Up in the Air and Juno- those are both great movies. Tully and Labor Day were both surprisingly good films. While The Front Runner doesn't get close to any of those movies, it's still a solid, entertaining film. The stakes feel surprisingly low, though. There's nothing here that really sticks in your memory. There's been so many great political movies over the years. It's unfortunate that this just isn't one of them. So, on the one hand, this is an effective look at an ill fated presidential campaign. On the other, this is a surprisingly toothless film from some talented people.

I enjoyed the casting of Hugh Jackman as Gary Hart. It showed a different side to the actor and I thought he delivered a worthwhile performance. It was missing a real spark to it, so it doesn't surprise me that he was completely overlooked at awards time. His performance feels good, but a long way from great. It's a serviceable performance, but he never fully makes the role or the film his own. That's a bit surprising as he obviously gets a lot of screen time. I'm not sure we ever fully penetrate the outer wall to truly understand Hart.

The supporting cast is good, although many have small roles. I really enjoyed seeing Vera Farmiga here. She has a few solid scenes, but mostly feels under leveraged. She's more talented than what she was asked to do here. J.K. Simmons has a few great moments, but it feels like he needed significantly more screen time. You could see his potential to be a real scene stealer, but he doesn't get enough screen time to work with. I loved seeing Alfred Molina in a small role, and the same goes for Kevin Pollak and Bill Burr. The supporting cast as a whole was solid, but there wasn't really any standouts.

I really expected more from the story. It's kind of a shocking turn of events- Gary Hart was the front runner to be nominated as the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States. And then, in a matter of weeks, his campaign was sunk and many younger people today would scratch their heads and say, "Who was Gary Hart?" It feels like a stunning, remarkable story. That never fully comes across here. Maybe it's the difference between 1987 and today (where we have a U.S. President whose antics and tantrums make everything else pale in comparison), but it was hard to get so up in arms over what happens here. I'm not condoning Hart's behavior, but it doesn't make for the most compelling political drama, at least in Jason Reitman's hands. It's interesting and I wanted to see how it all turned out, but I can't say I ever felt riveted or fully invested in the story or characters.

I don't want to be too harsh with this film. The Front Runner is a good movie. It's entertaining and it features solid performances from the cast. Jason Reitman told a worthwhile story about a political candidate whose campaign imploded not that long ago. However, with the talent assembled, it's surprising that the film wasn't better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Nixon, Up in the Air, Bulworth