LBJ was reviled in his day for his involvement in Vietnam and presiding over America in crisis. Yet his legacy is continually reassessed today. The main aim of this movie is to highlight his role in passing Civil Rights legislation. It tells how an unreconstructed southerner won the cause that JFK was insistent on passing.
It is a very light touch political movie that glosses over LBJ's failings - he was a cudgel where JFK was a rapier. LBJ was an immensely crude Texan who came from a tradition of Jim Crow laws. Yet this gauche and boorish man had a streak of decency that pushed him on. The movie only hints at this and really looks to look again at what he achieved.
Woody Harrelson plays LBJ as more sensitive than was thought at the time. He is at the centre always and maintains your interest throughout.
This movie assumes a knowledge ( and interest ) in 1960s US politics especially the civil rights movement . Without it the casual viewer would struggle to get the most out of this movie.
Finally I would like to reflect that it is refreshing to see a movie that reminds you that Democrats and Republicans used to talk to each other.
It is a very light touch political movie that glosses over LBJ's failings - he was a cudgel where JFK was a rapier. LBJ was an immensely crude Texan who came from a tradition of Jim Crow laws. Yet this gauche and boorish man had a streak of decency that pushed him on. The movie only hints at this and really looks to look again at what he achieved.
Woody Harrelson plays LBJ as more sensitive than was thought at the time. He is at the centre always and maintains your interest throughout.
This movie assumes a knowledge ( and interest ) in 1960s US politics especially the civil rights movement . Without it the casual viewer would struggle to get the most out of this movie.
Finally I would like to reflect that it is refreshing to see a movie that reminds you that Democrats and Republicans used to talk to each other.