Running Mates (2000)

Memorable, crazy movie

Best movie ever!

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Dreadful acting. A thinly veiled attempt to slam those on the left side of the aisle.Women are subjugated and revolve around men. Tom Selleck shows his acting range from A to B.

Sure some of the characters in this film, about a Governor (Tom Selleck) running for president, seem hollow and fake...but isn't that the way politics is? As it goes this is a decent entry, though you would be better suited watching 'Bob Roberts' from 1992. The cast here is good, with Laura Linney and Nancy Travis giving the film's best performances, while Faye Dunaway is embarrassingly bad at first, then delivers a poignant middle before settling down at the bottom again near the end. Why does this woman keep getting Golden Globe nominations for such overripe performances? I Recommend this mostly for political junkies or for viewing during election season.

TNT had been promoing this one since the winter primary season, so I expected something like a blockbuster. Fool me once . . . Actually, "Running Mates" has its likeable moments and it did close with an uplifting plot turn, though it was one you could see coming. The scenes came fast, which I thought worked, and the editing kept the story moving.The disappointments were in the utter phony silliness of certain aspects of what was a crackling good presentation much of the time. For example, the character of the Texas VP hopeful; that style wouldn't have worked in a good movie or TV show 40 years ago. The four women all having something in common with Tom Selleck's Gov. Pryce was a forced issue and hard to believe -- and also unnecessary. The vice-presidential decision coming on the night of Selleck's acceptance speech was likewise fiction and likewise not necessary; just a cheap hook to keep viewers tuned in all the way to the final credits.There were a lot of good vignettes, the real TV personalities gave the movie a newscast feel, and Selleck and Bob Gunton as the reluctant VP candidate were the best of a good cast. Overall, a slick production that was certainly watchable. But it seems to me if you're doing this kind of thing during a political convention and tying in so many real events, you'd want to make the entire movie as real as possible. The production/directorial decisions that deviated from that are hard to fathom.

If only a real politician would act like this. Tom Selleck's character is a two term governor from Michigan, running for the Presidency, who still hasn't sold his soul to interest groups. Will he/won't he? That's the question. Good thing he wasn't offered money by Buddist nuns. All in all an entertaining film and far better than the reruns on this time of year. I tuned in to see Laura Linney a tremendously underrated talent, and was pleasantly surprised with a good story and an ensemble cast of people I wish we saw more of.Worth a watch...I gave it a 7.