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    Movie Review

    Lack of energy dooms The Front Runner to also-ran status

    Alex Bentley
    Nov 20, 2018 | 3:45 pm
    Hugh Jackman in The Front Runner
    Hugh Jackman in The Front Runner.
    Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

    The story of Gary Hart, a former U.S. senator who twice tried to run for president, is a cautionary tale that has faded into memory since it happened 30 years ago. Writer/director Jason Reitman has brought it back as a bit of Oscar bait with The Front Runner.

     

    In 1987, Hart (Hugh Jackman) was considered to be the clear front runner for not only the Democratic nomination for president in the 1988 election, but to win the presidency itself. Relatively young, good-looking, and full of charisma, he was expected to overwhelm all challengers with ease.

     

    He also had a habit of seeing women outside of his marriage, something that had been winked at with many previous politicians, but one which would prove to be his undoing. Reporters embedded with his campaign took his invitation to follow him around literally, uncovering an apparent affair with Donna Rice (Sara Paxton), among other indiscretions.

     

    The film, co-written by Reitman, Matt Bai (who wrote the book on which the film is based), and Jay Carson, concentrates on the three-week period between Hart’s candidacy announcement and his subsequent suspension of his campaign. Given the very short amount of time in which the film takes place, you’d expect the story to move like a freight train. Instead, it has a curious lack of energy that never allows for any excitement to build.

     

    Reitman and his team work hard to make the point that the prying into Hart’s personal life was a shifting point in American politics, but given the current state of affairs in 2018, it all feels a bit quaint. It’s easy to see how what transpired could turn into a scandal, but the film fails to make it seem as much of an earth-shattering moment as they want it to be.

     

    The storytelling also comes off as a kind of a copy of a copy. It has variety of heated moments within the campaign or in newspaper offices that would work well if you hadn’t seen them done better in many other political or journalism movies. A tighter focus or a different approach might have yielded more positive results.

     

    All of that would be moot were Jackman as magnetic as he’s called on to be. However, he never really “becomes” Hart; he’s just Hugh Jackman with a bad haircut/wig. As such, key moments that could lend greater depth to the character wind up falling flat.

     

    On the other hand, the film is full of superlative supporting performances. J.K. Simmons, Molly Ephraim, Mamoudou Athie, Steve Zissis, and more keep the film interesting enough to warrant sitting through the whole thing. Even if the story as a whole can’t find a foothold, these actors find ways to shine.

     

     The Front Runner would seem to be a movie for our times, or at least one that could provide a partial explanation for how we got here. Instead, it’s a mostly inert drama that will likely wind up as forgotten as Hart’s presidential ambitions.

     
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    Movie Review

    New Superman film honors the past while forging into the future

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 11, 2025 | 1:26 pm
    David Corenswet in Superman
    Photo by Jessica Miglio
    David Corenswet in Superman.

    When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

    The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

    Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

    One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

    He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which - in a great joke - comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

    There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

    Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

    Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

    ---

    Superman is now playing in theaters.

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