Advertisement

Movies & TV

LBJ

GALA D: Rob Reiner. U.S. 98 min. Sep 15, 9:30 pm, Roy Thomson Hall Sep 16, noon, Elgin Sep 17, 8:30 pm, Scotiabank 2. Rating: NN


Set over the week in November 1963 that saw Johnson assuming the office after the assassination of John F. Kennedy (with appropriate flashbacks to Johnson’s own quest for the candidacy), Reiner’s biopic is polished and self-important in that specific Oscar-craving way – all declarative dialogue and moments of greatness. The low horns at the opening credits give the game away: this is a Very Serious Movie.

It’s good, then, to see Woody Harrelson absolutely refuse to play into it yes, he’s stooped under both the weight of history and several pounds of latex, but Harrelson gives Johnson a liveliness the movie doesn’t know how to handle. By contrast, Jennifer Jason Leigh simply disappears under her equally elaborate makeup as Lady Bird Johnson you won’t even remember she’s in the picture.

The film around Harrelson is utterly undistinguished, with screenwriter Joey Hartstone borrowing the leader-as-negotiator theme from Spielberg’s recent Lincoln. (Richard Jenkins stands in for the entire obstructionist South as Georgia senator Richard Russell, Jr.) And the chosen timeframe neatly sidesteps any discussion around Johnson’s escalation of the Vietnam war, which is annoying. But it gives the picture a happy ending.  

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted