chuck-reilly Review of Political Animals

Political Animals (2012)

"Political Animals" goes over the top and then some...

[5/10 · 16 July 2012]

"Political Animals" is a thinly disguised and badly written drama about the Clintons (but with more maladjusted children). Sigourney Weaver plays the Hillary Clinton part as a stand-up honest states-person, so one could immediately surmise that reality is completely thrown out the window. The best thing that can be said is that old Sigourney is much better looking than poor Hillary could ever hope to be...and she's a lot taller. The actor (his name escapes me) who plays her ex-husband and ex-president (Bud Hammond) is so over the top as a drooling predatory womanizer, that he's reduced Bill Clinton to the level of a caricature. As bad as Slick Willie was, he could've never been as salacious as this clown. Carla Gugino is around as a reporter who's only interested in the most intimate details about the former first family. She'll do just about anything for an inside scoop, and her character is about as sympathetic as an understudy for Joseph Goebbels. Luckily for viewers, Ellen Burstyn is in the cast as Sigourney's mother. She looks like a million bucks and her dialog is snappy and delivered with conviction. She must've had it stipulated in her contract to be able to recite intelligent lines, because she's the only one on this show who does. Ms. Weaver tries valiantly to do something with her part, but it just doesn't ring true. She almost seems like she's ready to break out laughing at any moment. As for the rest of the story,there are profanities galore from this dysfunctional family and the requisite gay love scene for those interested in that sort of thing. Halfway through the program, one of Ms. Weaver's exasperated staff members mutters, "If people only knew how bad we're running this government..." The same could be said for this entire production. Or to paraphrase the real Bill Clinton, "It's the writing, stupid!"