Looks like Jason Reitman is trying the old adage of directing two movies in one year, in case one of the films doesn’t find an audience. Or at least that seems to be the case for the twice Oscar nominated director. While Tully struggled to find an audience earlier in the year, The Front Runner feels primes to make a big splash during awards season. Based on the true story, the film follows Colorado Sen. Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) during his run for the Democratic Nomination in 1988 and the scandal that sidelined his campaign hopes. Take a look at the trailer.
Maybe we’ve gotten too used to the 24 hour news cycle, good people disappointing us and scandals galore, that there’s almost something quaint about a time where that seemed new. At least, in the context of The Front Runner, it was the cusp of things changing. I mean, a young reporter even says “Just because some other paper used gossip as a front page news, it doesn’t mean we have to.” Alfred Molina cuts him off ,stating “It does. It does now.” Couple that with Reitman leaning into the kind of natural and satirical humor that put him on the map with Thank You For Smoking and this feels like a movie that will play very well.
Reitman, working off a script written by himself, Jay Carson and Matt Bai, who’s book the film is based upon, brings a wealth of talent to the project. Besides Jackman and Molina, the trailer also features Vera Farmiga, Mike Judge, J.K. Simmons, Alex Karpovsky, Bill Burr and Sara Paxton. That’s a formidable group.
The Front Runner will be released in the thick of the award season push. It’s 2 weeks after the midterm election, on November 20th. Is this a movie that strikes your fancy? Are the clothes and hairstyles enough to fit your weekly fix for all things 80’s? Do you prefer your political films with a side of satire? Let us know in the comments below and enjoy this poster for The Front Runner, which lets you know exactly the kind of movie the studio is wanting to sell.
