My wife convinced me to go to this new LBJ movie yesterday. The reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were mediocre and Woody Harrelson plays the lead role as Lyndon Baines Johnson. Woody is not my favorite actor as he always seems to play one version or another of "the crazy guy" in most of his films.
We also had a private screening - but not by design - we were the only people in the theater.
I have to say this was an excellent film, but I will qualify this by saying I have always been a bit of a political junkie. My mother was of Irish Catholic descent so Kennedy's election was a big deal when I was a kid and it had a big influence on me as well.
The film covers the time period beginning in the late 1950's and the 1960 election through the election of 1964 and the passage of the Civil Rights Act in that same year. It pays very little attention to the Vietnam war and mentions Johnson's later determination not to run in 1968 only briefly just before the closing credits run.
Harrelson portrayal of Johnson was outstanding in my mind and Johnson was certainly quite an unusual individual. Jennifer Jason Leigh was also good as Lady Bird Johnson. It is an excellent period piece, too, with great costumes, the right automobiles and the perfect haircuts and eye glasses for the era.
Highly recommended and much, much better that I expected.
We also had a private screening - but not by design - we were the only people in the theater.
I have to say this was an excellent film, but I will qualify this by saying I have always been a bit of a political junkie. My mother was of Irish Catholic descent so Kennedy's election was a big deal when I was a kid and it had a big influence on me as well.
The film covers the time period beginning in the late 1950's and the 1960 election through the election of 1964 and the passage of the Civil Rights Act in that same year. It pays very little attention to the Vietnam war and mentions Johnson's later determination not to run in 1968 only briefly just before the closing credits run.
Harrelson portrayal of Johnson was outstanding in my mind and Johnson was certainly quite an unusual individual. Jennifer Jason Leigh was also good as Lady Bird Johnson. It is an excellent period piece, too, with great costumes, the right automobiles and the perfect haircuts and eye glasses for the era.
Highly recommended and much, much better that I expected.
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