Tanner '88

Robert Altman and Gary Tredeau were a good match, and according to the DVD interview it makes a lot more sense than the simple notion of 'well, Doonsbury is a funny comic, Altman makes some funny movies.' As the two say and agree upon, it has to do with scenes, the behavior allotted not in a very rigid story structure but in what can be done just in one scene. Although the structure has to fit into half hour time slots, it's as epic in its own area as Altman's own Short Cuts, or even Band of Brothers in creating a world unto itself, as stark and true as possible to being there in person. As it ends up happening with Altman there are scenes that get cut into other scenes, perfectly, without a beat missed. Oh, sometimes a door closes and a door opens sort of cut might happen, which is fine, but as far as editing goes- which Altman says is when he starts to get much more in control as opposed to the loose approach to letting actors improvise (and with this, aside from the back-room scenes and really specific ones, there's a lot of it even for a production like Altman's)- it's much stronger than for a regular television show.

Which is interesting since it sometimes has that long feeling of an Altman shot here and there, or one that is held for longer than one might expect in a TV show; one crucial shot being when Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy) is shot unawares by a camera looking through a glass coffee table as he gives a passionate monologue to his campaign team after a bad day. Shots like these, or when two characters have a conversation for a stretch of time (i.e. Tanner and the governor Bruce Babbit talking along the Potomac) should be self-conscious, but they aren't. And other times the trademark Altmanesque approach to shooting is actually spot-on for a kind of soap opera quality to the proceedings that ends up lending itself to comedy more than the melodramatic moment of revelation. It's a great moment of comedy, for example, not merely in the look between Stringer (Daniel Kincaid) and Joanna Buckley (Wendy Crewson) as he knows it's Dukakis's campaign manager who's been sleeping around with Tanner, and likewise she knows he knows, but how the shot goes, a quick zoom in on each other's eyes, as if the audience didn't know- which of course we do- and the light touch of theme music in the background.

Tanner '88 is also great entertainment as far as being able to expect "For Real" reality, to quote an episode, as Tanner encounters real politicians, for the most part not knowing that it's a fictional show (Pat Robertson, for example). We know how this will all end, but the question of the how and when is what strikes up drama and madness in equal measure, as if even in the most predictable means it adds to the appeal (new campaign supervisors on how to speak more forcefully and with strict attention, then the scandal(s), awkward campaign stops, a not-quite assassination attempt as one of the funniest asides, dissension from reporters). And touches of irony help along the way, like how Veronica Cartwright's reporter, who at first is not getting much of the scoop, and how she soon acquires the fired former camerman on Tanner's inner circle (let go for an uproariously stupid montage video on drug legalization, taken mostly from Tanner's notebook) who shoots like many a pretentious reality-TV cameraman- and then also reports first on the affair scandal to boot! I also liked how Kitty Dukakis got figured into the actual storyline, as opposed to just another throwaway political figure.

And all the while Murphy is a total pro- robbed of an Emmy severely in fact- and there ends up being more for him to do as an actor, in playing a sympathetic but flawed character who as TJ describes about his running for president is like a "lifestyle choice." Pamela Reed, Cynthia Nixon and Ilana Levine make up the principle female characters, all with their own pragmatic, optimistic, and just frustrated views on the campaign trail, and they're great to have in the midst of an otherwise predominantly male cast. It's important that they too are right on the ball with Murphy at just saying the right things when diverting from Trudau's script. Suddenly it doesn't feel like we're simply seeing a fictional account of a debate between Tanner, Jesse and Dukakis, but it's more immediate than that. Even more-so than Primary Colors we're given a first-hand look at the process, the ugliness and dirty side, the idiots and mistakes made consistently, the cynicism and irony, and how the media and politics are inseparable and insufferable depending on the beat. And it has the immediacy of news while keeping a hold on the multi-dimensional framework that Altman mastered in his career.

Taken as a whole work it is very long, but worth every moment of extra characterization, and ever extra song performance of the theme (my favorite was the hair metal version at the fundraiser in Los Angeles), and it's one of the most insightful, amusing, and superlative works from a quintessential American director.

A long-time Altman fan, I rented the video of Tanner 88 just in time for the final days of the 2000 election. In fact, on election night, I was flipping back and forth between Altman's clever take on presidential politics and the "real" thing, and I can tell you, Tanner 88 was much better television.

The mini-series of 10 half-hour episodes is available on three VHS tapes.

It was excellent, overall. Especially good was the way it punctured so many of the hot-air balloons and pretensions of American politics, but clearly sympathized with the people who want to believe in it. We see a liberal Democratic candidate, Jack Tanner, played skillfully by Michael Murphy, go through a campaign from the New Hampshire primary to the end of the convention. Typical of the series, Tanner is on the one hand shallow and full of empty rhetoric, while also sincere, idealistic and sometimes inspiring. Tanner's campaign manager, a woman, is also extremely smart, more than a little cynical, but capable of being inspired by her candidate whose weaknesses she knows very well. The first half of the series, which takes place in New Hampshire, is extremely funny, especially in showing how the citizens there have become inured to the hoopla of the candidates and the media. Also outstanding in this series is the way the working press is portrayed as part of the life of the campaign--these are real people, not just role players. The last two episodes, at the convention, lack the bite of the first five or or six, and could be skipped without losing much.

This is a funny mockumentary of a very liberal congressman-Tanner among other things wants to legalize all drugs-running for president in 1988. The key feature of this work is it is an artful blend of fictional characters and situations along with real politicos and stuff that happens on campaigns. I was too young in 1988 to really remember the presidential race so I got a lot of laughs when I mixed up who was real and who was fake. (Kitty Dukakis is a good actress!)

The humor of this work is bone dry; its central criticism of the campaign process as being concerned with mere appearances rings louder today. Tanner is a great satirical character-it's never really answered why he is running for president because at the end of the day the answer is probably vanity. Like most Altman works this has the ensemble and multiple plotlines aspects where is feels like you are looking into a group of lives. Tanner is the central focus but a half a dozen or so stories are present. I especially liked the ongoing drama with TJ (campaign manager) and Ted Kennedy.

In a lot of ways this touches on Altman's central concerns and sensibilities. It is a cross section of both America and wide range of people-most episodes are literally in different states and there a dozens of people in this work. It has the great unresolved quality of so much Altman. The series ends on a plot cliffhanger while feeling complete as a commentary. It has the disappointment in and cynicism of American politics. It has the musical interludes. The direction is very much the fly on the wall free flowing camera Altman does so well.

I think people who aren't use to Altman's style or want a quick feel of his body of work would do well to start with this. Because this is episodic it is more accessible than Nashville. Altman wasn't wrong to think of this as his most creative work-it has the controlled chaos that defines the best parts of his work.

Robert Altman and Garry "Doonesbury" Trudeau teamed up to create this unforgettable look at American politics -- an ongoing series about Tanner, a fictional candidate for president, filmed against the backdrop of the real race (primaries, conventions, etc.) with real politicians playing themselves and interacting with the characters.

This one is as brilliant, funny and thought-provoking as the best of the writer and director's solo projects. All the performances are terrific -- Pamela Reed, in particular, shows why she's one of the most interesting American actresses working today.

Following fictional US presidential candidate Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy) for the Democratic party during the real 1988 election, Tanner '88 is one of the most interesting political comedies I've seen, while also one of the most rigidly dated series I know of. Originally airing sporadically during / leading up to said '88 election on HBO, the series was pitched as if Tanner was a true candidate for the real run, and even included cameos from active politicians, as well as a finale seemingly filmed at / during that year's Democratic National Convention. Created by cartoonist Garry Trudeau, directed by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H*), and produced by both, the scripts were apparently only mostly written, with much improvisation / pick ups on the day to fill out the scenes. It feels very documentary, although with constantly interesting angles and camera movement I must say, and we're often given long takes of conversational talking, with lots of background noise and obfuscation. It makes everything feel quite real, almost unedited, like we're watching the behind-the-scenes of a real campaign, which is obviously exactly the what the series is going for. Of course this strength is also its ultimate weakness, as the series is so rigidly locked in the campaign that unless you yourself experienced it, or have a vast interest in politics, you won't get most of the Dukakis, Kennedy, Reagan, and Dole humour. All in all, what we get feels like if NPR tried to make a comedy, and I mean that in the best ways. If its your type of thing you're going to love it, I thought it was quite good and certainly impressive.