THE FRONT RUNNER *

"The Front Runner" in question is Presidential hopeful Gary Hart, another politician whose failure to keep it in his pants cost him, not just the White House, but a very promising political career. Who doesn't love a scandal. especially when sex is involved and political scandals are always the juiciest. It hardly matter if the film about the scandal isn't very good, just get the facts right, or at least 'the facts' as we know them, cram some good actors on screen, throw in dialogue that sounds like we're listening to a newsreel, have lots of it overlap and the rest should take care of itself.

Jason Reitman's movie is certainly entertaining but it's no "All the President's Men", (despite having the characters Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward). It has a Made-For-TV-Movie feel to it and while Hugh Jackman is excellent as Hart, politically he comes over as something of a lightweight thanks largely to the cliche-ridden script which isn't too hot on the sex angle either. If this movie is to be believed, Hart was a shallow man; that he made it as far as he did comes as something of a surprise. But hey, this is America; we're talking about a country that put a bad actor into the White House and now, in the 21st Century has the worst President in the country's history so maybe Hart wouldn't have been so bad after all. Of course, I guess I have no room to talk. I didn't know Hart's political views from a hole in the ground and this dirt-dishing movie isn't likely to teach anyone too much about 'The Front Runner'. It's third-rate but it's fun.