Anyone who knows of Anthony Weiner will know that his last name is both appropriate and unfortunate. Weiner was exposed by hackers as having been involved in a series of sexting relationships outside his marriage. The documentary, WEINER, shadows him and his team as he attempts to make people forget about his past, and vote for him as Mayor of New York in 2013.
In regards to the film, that really, is all you need to know. That plus the fact that politicians are not really who they pretend to be in front of the cameras – is that truly shocking?
Though the documentary moves along at a good pace, some of the interactions between Weiner, his long-suffering wife Huma and his staff, come across as a performance, when they should appear authentic. I personally have a real problem with the representation of Huma – a respected intellectual on the Middle East in real life – who, in the documentary, is shafted to the role of the vacant, even vaguely dopey servant of her husband’s political game.
All in all, it is a very average depiction of American, domestic politics.
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