Running Mates

A riddle: Is there any such thing as an honest politician?

Answer: According to this film, yes. According to reality... maybe, somewhere.

This film is basically about a dude (Tom Selleck) trying to get to the presidency with the help of four women as major behind-the-scenes players orchestrating the whole thing. And each of them are former or current lovers.

While the film starts out rather forthright and such, around two-thirds of the way in it suddenly goes diabetic with a saccharine injection you’ll be lucky to walk away from. And the ending, Cheesus. Even now, days later, my kidney’s hurt.

This has been made for that eternally hungry and insatiable monster, American cable television, and it shows. Starting out nobly enough with a rather genuine looking take on the whole political Under Seven’s soccer game, you can almost pinpoint the exact second the producers step in and go,

‘Dammit, it’s too real. Add some sugar! ...more ...more ...too much! Perfect! That’s a wrap! ...Release the hounds.’

So, much like an unstirred cup of coffee, the beginning peps you up and the ending is so sugary as to be unappetising and nauseating. Disinterest follows, as does throwing it away.

Well, even made for TV stuff gets film artefacts, as we all know from the lecture. This has but a few that don’t impede the film at all, but are present nonetheless. The picture quality is fine with good colours and levels of saturation. Flesh tones are natural, as are blacks, and shadow detail doesn’t really matter as shadows rarely appear at all.

A couple of minor worries in a bit of a double/blurred image at 35:33 and what looks like a missing frame at 1:18:11. Consider them politician’s lies... obvious, but glossed over.

Among the Warner cheapies selection, we get the usual Dolby Digital stereo hitting us with plenty of sharp dialogue and well-synched sound effects. John Debney’s music is well-suited to the piece here with volumes of brass presidential-type stuff. Still rather ordinary though, and nothing overbearing or worth getting in a heated debate about.

Erm... let me just say this about the extras; No Australian child will live with extras by 1990.

Political exploitation and power fans of shows like The West Wing or The American President will find this to their tastes until the previously noted change in party policy around two thirds in. On a brighter note though, Tom Selleck actually looks good for the first time without his moustache, even though he’s appeared in several vehicles over the years without it. For this, I give the moustache (on a ‘business trip’ in Majorca) the six yellow spots for having the good sense to stay out of this heady political controversy.