This movie should have been better. It told a good story. It had a strong cast of principals. Hugh Jackman was strong and believable in the lead role and J K Simmons was reliably good.
However, the movie suffered badly by poor sound mixing. In his attempt to reflect realistically the chaotic nature of political campaigning, director Jason Reitman merely created distracting dialogue drowned out by background noise, particularly in the first 30 minutes of the film. This caused a disconnect and I was never able to become fully immersed in the action. I also struggled to understand the muffled dialogue of some of the supporting characters, all of which detracted from my enjoyment of the movie.
An important issue was raised toward the end of the movie: why would any young candidate aspire to become President knowing that the media will examine every aspect of their life and distort, sensationalise and lie about it to create news? Is this why 78-year-old Joe Biden was the best candidate the Democrats could put forward for President in the 2020 election? Were younger candidates wary of the relentless media scrutiny?
This important issue aside, The Front Runner should have been a better movie but instead wallowed in mediocrity, despite the strong performances of Jackman and Simmons.
Review of The Front Runner
