Review of The Front Runner by Kathia Woods

“The Frontrunner" is the story of former Presidential Candidate Senator Gary Hart. On paper, he was everything this country needed. Young, talented, smart and charismatic.

He failed to understand one thing when you run for office your whole life is on display. You can be the most qualified person for the job however that doesn't protect you from having your entire life dissected.

Jason Reitman uses that inability to balance qualification as well privacy invasion to tell the story.

The viewer has to understand that we lived in a different America in 1988. It was pre-internet, and we only saw or heard about our candidate's private life what they chose to expose.

Gary Hart grew of age in that type of politics. Your record is what you ran on, your family was off the record and what you did in the dark remained there.

Unfortunately, that naive approach is what derailed his campaign.

Hugh Jackman as Hart is not a natural fit. He is talented, but this portrayal seems awkward. Several things contributed to the imbalance.

Jackman is a tall handsome man and debonair.

Hart was appealing but wouldn't think of him as handsome. This portrayal paints Hart as a brilliant man was either naive or in denial. Why didn't he just come clean? Was his need for privacy more important than becoming President are the questions that never get answered?

Then there is Donna Rice. Her voice was completely missing in this movie.

There are several moments in this movie where her character makes attempts to demonstrate that she's not a homewrecker or bimbo. What drew her to Hart? Did she not understand the ramifications of getting involved with Hart especially during a Presidential campaign year? Sara Paxton who is portraying Donna Rice received little to interpret. She was simply blond.

The performances worth mentioning in this movie come from the supporting cast Vera Farming is strong as Lee Hart. She's not some wilting flower but a woman that knows her position and puts Hart on notice. Where Jackman I say was boring, she brought some much-needed energy to the movie especially in their scenes together.

J.K.Simmons was brilliant as Bill Dixon. This man can't give a bad performance. Bill Burr, the comedian, showed that he is very capable of playing a serious character. Newcomer Mamoudou Athie as A.J. Parker is enthralling. He is the only thing in this movie that gives an insight into what so many of us were feeling. Do you sacrifice love for the country for a byline? The struggle to remove a capable candidate in the name of journalism. He is the only one that tackles that conversation.

The other character that gives us the context in this movie is Irene Kelly played by Molly Ephraim. Here is a young woman trying to make her mark in a man's world. The sad part is that she had to sacrifice another woman to gain a stronghold.

These are the parts of the movie that work and that needed more screen time. I wish Reitman would have explored more off believing in an idea of a candidate and then discovering that he's not the man you deemed him to be. Also was there no one on his staff telling him to fight for the presidency.

It's been thirty years since Hart ran for President and yet we are no closer to answers on why this man refused to acknowledge that he screwed up. Maybe that is the point of this movie that we will never know however it also hinders this movie because we get everything but answers.

Diversity- I give this movie a seven. Donna Rice is still a mystery thirty years later. Mamoudou Athie on the other hand shines.

Scale- This movie gets a 7. Jackman as Hart was not a good fit. We are still not wiser thirty years later.