Debuting at TIFF on September 9th and primed for a theatrical release on November 3rd, Rob Reiner's LBJ brings to life the story of the man who immediately succeeded John F. Kennedy, following his assassination.
Lyndon B. Johnson appeared on our screens twice last year, with Bryan Cranston in All The Way and John Carroll Lynch in a supporting role in Jackie. Reiner's film looks set to follow the Vice President as he navigates his way from tragedy to the Oval Office. For this LBJ we get Woody Harrelson at his brusque best, with what looks to me like a... prosthetic chin? And when actors get out the heavy make-up you know they mean busines...
But is there any reason why Woody Harrelson is conspicuously absent from Nathaniel's Best Actor Oscar Predictions? Check out the trailer.
YES
- Rob Reiner's filmography may not exactly have a bonafide hit for a fair while, but he's shown with The American President that he can give heart to politics.
- Woody Harrelson is a prestige actor and we rarely notice it. Do you really remember Geoffrey Rush's performance in Shine over Harrelson's in The People Vs. Larry Flynt?
- Lyndon Johnson gave the USA the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare and Medicaid; his place in history - and the movies - is cemented.
- Harrelson has a knack for making irascible characters likeable. Any President following Kennedy had big shoes to fill and this end up to be some very clever casting.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ladybird Johnson. We would like something weightier for her, but the Oscars do love supportive wives.
- Remember when the US President was a dignified statesman who could inspire the people?
NO
- The trailer knocks you on the head with its own sense of weight and importance. The tinkly piano that breaks into crescendo.
- It's a film where the only female characters seem to be wives. Yes, there is a large gender imbalance in politics, especially in the 60s, but noble films chock full of white men are losing momentum.
- You just know that the role of Ladybird Johnson is not enough for the talents of JJL. She seems to be delivering her lines with the enthusiasm the role demands.
- Everything about this feels like incredibibly earnest Oscar-bait and that can be disingenuous at times.
- There seems to be so much in this trailer, but where is the Vietman War??
- The not-so-transformative power of make-up. Where's J. Roy Helland when you need him?
MAYBE SO
- Has LBJ already had his moment with Bryan Cranston? Is there an appetite for more?
- Rob Reiner may be the director of A Few Good Men, Misery, This Is Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally but there might be a reason why he hasn't had recent hits to match his heyday.
- At one point I couldn't tell Richard Jenkins and Woody Harrelson apart - maybe audiences will develop facial blindness while watching?
- Could it be the case that the film gets a lone acting Oscar nomination? Who's it going to be?
Verdict: I'm afraid it's a NO from me. While there's undoubtedly a lot of talent involved in front of and behind the camera, this trailer makes the film seem like an overtly grand, noble and sentimental portrayal of Johnson. Good performances might not be enough to save the film from being drowned by its own sense of earnestness.
Am I off the mark? Have your say in the comments below.