Primary Colors (film)

Primary Colors is a 1998 comedydrama film based on the novel Primary Colors A Novel of Politics, a roman clef about Bill Clintons first presidential campaign in 1992, which was originally published anonymously, but in 1996 was revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein, who had been covering Clintons campaign for Newsweek. The film was directed by Mike Nichols and starred John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, and Adrian Lester.

Young political idealist and grandson of a civil rights leader Henry Burton Adrian Lester is recruited to join the campaign of Jack Stanton John Travolta, a charismatic Southern governor who is trying to win the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. Henry is impressed by Stantons genuine warmth and empathy with people. He joins Stantons inner circle of political advisers Stantons formidable wife, Susan Stanton Emma Thompson ruthless, redneck political strategist Richard Jemmons Billy Bob Thornton intelligent and attractive spokeswoman Daisy Green Maura Tierney and sly political operator Howard Ferguson Paul Guilfoyle as they journey to New Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary.After Stanton completes an impressive debate performance against his Democratic rivals, Henrys exgirlfriend shows up to question Stanton about his arrest for an antiwar protest during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. In addition its revealed that Stanton called a U.S. senator to help him get released then Stanton persuaded the mayor of Chicago to have his police record expunged. The team becomes worried that Stantons past indiscretions may be used against him by the press and his political opponents. They hire Jack and Susans old friend, tough but unbalanced Libby Holden Kathy Bates, to investigate allegations that could be used by Stantons political opponents to undermine his candidacy such as Stantons notorious womanizing. One of Stantons mistresses and Susans hairdresser, Cashmere McLeod Gia Carides, produces secret taped conversations between them to prove they had an affair. Henry discovers that the tapes have been doctored, so Libby tracks down the man responsible for the tapes and forces him at gunpoint to confess his guilt in a signed letter to the American public. ........

Source: Wikipedia