As an obvious companion piece to Wag
the Dog, which I revisited recently, I decided to take another look at Primary Colors, the 1998 film based on a
novel that was an embellished and somewhat fictionalized version of Bill
Clinton’s first primary campaign for the presidency. Wag
the Dog was a year earlier, but both strike at the heart of late 90s
political climate, albeit in very different ways. The first film has, in man
way, improved with age, while Primary
Colors has become a bit more dated. Wag
the Dog remains more relevant today than does Primary Colors. That’s not the fault of director Mike Nichols or
Elaine May, who adapted the screenplay (and scored an Oscar nomination, I
should point out), but it is a fact that can’t be avoided in any updated
conversation about the movie.
