Weiner

Many politicians have been caught up in scandals, but few have been quite as comical as Anthony Weiner's scandal. He would have been mocked a lot less if he had just cheated with his secretary like other politicians.

While that level of embarrassment would have made me hide in a bunker, Weiner got back on the political horse. As a New Yorker, I was shocked when he entered the mayoral race, and stunned when it looked like he might actually win the nomination.

This documentary follows Weiner's surprising resurgence and less surprising second crash. It's a fascinating movie. Weiner is a natural politician who knows how to work a crowd, but he's also a sex addict who, for all his apologies, seemed never able to accept that he had a problem needing addressing. His wife Huma seems lovely, and much of the movie consists of her looking as though she really, really wants to punch Weiner in the face. We watch the campaign staff as they discover they have signed up for a train wreck. We see Sydney Leathers trying to come across as the aggrieved party while simultaneously using the publicity to start a porn career.

Weiner is an interesting guy, and I think New Yorkers rejected for him less for his sexual compulsion than for his lying about it. In a way it seems as though his denial is a tragic flaw that made Weiner his own worst enemy. It's sad, and my heart breaks for Huma. But let's be honest, it's still one of the most amusing scandals we've had.