Posted on ANDPOP:
“What flaws do we want in our leaders?”
Director Jason Reitman is asking big questions in his new political “entertaining thriller” The Front Runner. If you’re a millennial you may not be familiar with the OG political sexual-scandal. Believe it or not (though we’re sure you will) there was a big one a decade before Clinton uttered his infamous words “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”.
In Spring of 1987, America appeared to find a new hero in Democratic Presidential nominee Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman). He was idealistic, charming, smart – the clear front runner (see what I did there?) to take charge of the White House. This American dream quickly shattered, however, when a press stake-out of Hart’s apartment revealed a woman (nope, not his wife) living in his D.C townhouse. Before long there were photos of Hart’s extramarital affair with Donna Rice (Sara Paxton), and that was the end of his career (George H. W. Bush was re-elected to the presidency that year, in case you were curious).
Brigitte discusses with Reitman the opportunity The Front Runner offers to use the past to understand our present; Reitman describes the film as “a prism through which we can talk about 2018”. Although our news headlines and social media feel over-saturated with politics, Reitman suggests that it can be challenging to have an actual conversation about the current political climate without running in circles. The Front Runner provides a platform to examine 2018 from a new angle, and asks viewers to consider the question “How did we get here?”
With a dynamite cast including Vera Farmiga, J.K Simmons and Alfred Molina, it’s safe to say The Front Runner will be a killer conversation-starter. Take a look at Brigitte’s interview to hear about Reitman’s experience with an ensemble cast, his responsibility to the ‘real people’ of the story, and more about Hart himself.
You can then form your own opinion (we know you want to) by checking out The Front Runner in theatres November 21st, it is rated 14A.
Read more at ANDPOP.
