Amidst the U.S. midterms hysteria, "The Front Runner" is released into theaters this weekend, offering a boring look at Gary Hart's tumultuous 1988 Presidential campaign.
Directed by Jason Reitman, "The Front Runner" stars Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart, who delivers an expectedly-strong performance as the ill-fated politician. In addition to Jackman, J.K. Simmons and Vera Farmiga offer nice supporting roles as Bill Dixon and Lee Hart, respectively. While Reitman clearly intended "The Front Runner" to be a tell-all for our current political climate, the film delivers little and finds a way to dilute a fascinating story to the point of exhaustion.
This film's focus is bizarre and inexplicable. The introductory sequence focuses intensely on the mundane tasks of journalists, tracking their inner workings to report media coverage. Not only does this fail to attract audiences to the story, but it is completely contradictory to the main narrative, as we meet Hart much too late. Never do we see a younger Hart or gain any insights into the formation of his character. Reitman's decision to focus entirely on the few weeks of his presidential campaign result in an inconsistent and lackluster look at Hart's presidential bid. While Jackman delivers a hearty performance, Reitman foolishly gives little screen time to him, focusing on over-the-top journalists and pressers loosely involved in his story.
Gary Hart's most famous moments in the spotlight were not even mentioned here: for instance, the infamous dock photo with mistress Donna Rice was never seen in the film. Reitman has too much on his plate here, as his balancing act of the press, the candidate, and the family do not work in unison and only take away momentum from each other's narrative. For example, one sequence focuses greatly on Donna Rice and one of Hart's campaign staffers having dinner, which drags on far too long and distracts the audience from Hart's view in the public and his response. The consistent split focus of "The Front Runner" take away from the myth and allure of Gary Hart, as we barely get to see any of his prowess. Reitman lamely chooses to explore Hart's talent largely through exposition from J.K. Simmons and offers very limited looks at Hart on the campaign trail.
The worst part about seeing this film is knowing the wasted potential of the subject matter. Gary Hart's life and campaign is truly a fascinating story of greed and the limits of power, but Reitman explores none of that. Reitman's inspiration by the Trump presidency led him to focus far too broadly with this story, and all the press content in this film is poorly executed and detracts from the heart of the narrative. A character study on what led Hart to abandon his marriage vows or run for political office would have been much more cinematic and informative for a biopic of this nature. Ultimately, "The Front Runner" is a depressing watch in the light of what could have been an intriguing character piece on a truly larger-than-life politician.
RATING: 3/10
Sean Kelso is the editor-in-chief of CUFPe and a junior in Columbia College.