Visitors Review

(2012-05-24 03:18)

Once you've gotten used to the faces, this movie grips you

We know the faces of the protagonists so well that no portrayal can be entirely convincing. The faces here are good, but no one who'd followed the period in question would mistake them for a moment. Neither of the actors are actually as transfixing as Blair and Clinton.That's distracting at first, but the movie is so well made that after a few minutes, the viewer forgets it, and only the occasional newsreel clip distracts.More persistent is the feeling that the most crucial and the most compelling of these events are so private that no-one could possibly know if anything like them actually occurred. Only two (or occasionally three or four) people would know, and they ain't sayin'.

edwagreen (2012-05-23 09:45)

The Special Relationship-It's Friendship All Right ***1/2

Dennis Quaid and Mr. Sheen are excellent in the roles of Clinton andTony Blair respectively.This starts out as Blair being a novice, and quite "nerdy." He looksfor Clinton to be a mentor to him. Both are basically liberal and theywant to change society from the right that has dominated bothcountries.It is the Sheen character that really matures as the film goes on. Hetakes the command regarding Kosovo and comes to Clinton's aid duringthe Monica Lewinsky scandal.I question the performance of Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton here. Whileit is true that Hillary has been depicted for her rather cold veneer,Davis seems to miss the mark. It is only when she is senator-elect thatshe embodies Hillary Clinton.The woman playing Cherie Blair is excellent.There is a good taste of history in this film with the peace efforts inIreland between Sinn Fein and the IRA.With the style change of a George W. Bush, the film ends, but we haveto remember that Blair was an ardent support of Bush's policy is Iraq.

freemantle_uk (2012-05-23 17:15)

The not so Special Relationship

Peter Morgan obviously has two obsessions in his life, Tony Blair andMichael Sheen. He is one of the few big name writers around and afterlooking at the rise of Tony Blair and how he dealt with the death ofPrincess Diana, he tackles his first few years a Prime Minister and hisfriendship with Bill Clinton.The Special Relationship starts in 1992 with Tony Blair's (Sheen)famous visit to America after Bill Clinton (Dennis Quiad) was electedPresident and in 1996 when as Leader of the Opposition was given almosta state visit by the President. As Prime Minister Blair and Clintonbecome close friends, believing they could usher in a new centre leftprogressive age around the world. They work closely together during theNorthern Ireland peace process and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, beforediffering over Kosovo.Morgan is of course a very talented writer, with The Jury, The Deal,The Last King of Scotland and Frost/Nixon all being excellent pieces ofwork. In a 90 minute package Morgan tries to cover as much ground aspossible: anyone interested in government and politics will be hookedto the film. But this is a blurred vision of what happened and this isa fiction because we really don't know what happened behind closeddoors. Morgan sets out to show Blair and Clinton were friends more on apolitical level then a personal level, with Clinton and his staff morewilling to ignore Blair. This is a slightly bias account because Morganignores that Alistair Campbell (Mark Bazeley) was in reality a vilepiece of work when it came to power and the media, always looking for afight or that Cherie Blair (Helen McCrory) is the type of woman whoenjoys all the benefits of power, such as nice shopping trips andgetting free gifts. The film also suffers from the benefit ofhindsight, with Clinton predicting a new progressive age, consideringthat he was suffering from a right-wing Republican Congress and Americais a right-wing country, coming up with characters that are even worst(Bush Jr. and Sarah Palin), or that Blair seeing it as the West's moralduty to go into Kosovo, leading to some of his arguments with Iraq. Thepolitical discussions and philosophy is interesting, but it would havebeen good to have more of how government and international relationsfunctions.Sheen has made the role of Tony Blair his own and no one else couldcommand that role like he does. He is able to show Blair as either acaring man who thinks he is doing what he thinks is doing the rightthing to a selfish man who is only interested in power for himself. ButQuiad was a poor choice as Clinton. Quiad was obviously trying his bestbut he did not have to the look nor able to capture his voice ormannerisms. The other supporting actors were also strong performances.Richard Loncraine does have a form making TV movies, with The GatheringStorm being an award winning film. Considering the material could bedry he was able to tell an fast paced film, balancing the differentplots, but it was clear he was working with a limited budget. Many ofthe scenes were internal and stock footage was used. Loncraine andMorgan should have made The Special Relationship should have beengrander, either with electioneering, the planning for the work or theon going struggles the two politicians had to face. It would have beengreat to see how someone like Aaron Sorkin would have handled thematerial with his flair and knowledge of politics. Loncraine is notStephen Freers who handled Morgan's previous Morgan and Sheenoriginally wanted to make a film about Blair and Bush Jr. but thoughtthat relationship with Clinton was more interesting. That is truebecause it was more of a partnership between Blair and Clinton becauseunder Bush Blair just gave in to him on everything, Iraq, missiondefence and extradition and got nothing in return. Under Bush Blair wasa puppet and we all remember during the 2006 Lebanon War Bush justdismissing Blair, with Blair not standing up to Bush. Bush and theneo-cons were so dogmatic that if anyone dogmatic that they set out todestroy or ignore any one who criticised them. It was his way or noway.

Troy_Campbell (2012-05-22 22:29)

An insightful drama.

British actor Michael Sheen portrays real-life figures with an eeriedegree of precision. In 2008 he took on the tricky part of down-and-outjourno David Frost in Frost/Nixon and absolutely nailed it. Then lastyear he delivered a remarkable performance as hubristic English soccercoach Brian Clough in the lesser seen drama The Damned United. Now inhis the third time depicting the former U.K. PM (first in telemovie TheDeal, then in the Helen Mirren-starring The Queen) he mimics Blair'smannerisms, vocal tones and overall personality so perfectly that Blairhimself couldn't play the role as well.As the title would suggest though, this drama follows a relationship,which requires a second party. Step in Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton. Hedoesn't convince on the same level as Sheen – Clinton's highlydistinguishable accent evades Quaid to begin with – but it's not longbefore the seasoned actor gets in a groove and solidly embodies thebeguiling American. Helen McCrory and Hope Davis don't have anydifficulty managing their supporting characters, the former as CherieBlair and the latter as Hillary Clinton. Davis especially is pitchperfect as the intriguing and somewhat imperious U.S. first lady.Although, predictably, the movie lives and dies by its performances,the screenplay is clever enough to display these people in events thatwill allow us to connect with them. In the opening act we see how thesetwo world leaders – Clinton the suavely aggressive big brother, Blairthe amenable and awestruck little brother – became friends, then wemove on to how they dealt with this 'special relationship' during goodtimes and bad. It's a tremendous friendship to witness, how they andtheir wives react to certain situations, the Lewinsky humiliation ofparticular note, indicates what we have probably suspected all along:they are, despite their global status and positions of power, humanafter all.An insightful drama that invites you into the lives of some veryfascinating people.4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 -Classic)

antoniotierno (2012-05-20 07:15)

brilliant and astute portrait

The main point of interest in "The Special Relationship" is in myopinion the changing status throughout the film of the strongfriendship between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Ahead of his electionBlair is portrayed as a fan of the US President, appreciating Clinton'sadvice and the fact that Bill has taken a great interest in his career.At the beginning they both appear to share a genuine mutual friendshipwhereas, as both their careers progress, the relationship does deeplychange. The Special Relationship is a good dramatization of theAmerica/Great Britain relationships during those very important years.However I had the impression that the film, though well acted anddirected, would be more suitable for the TV rather than for the bigscreen. Overall it's about an insightful representation of UK/USrelations, depicted through the exploration of a bromance and, morethan everything, a glimpse of the real Tony Blair. Not unforgettablebut a quality story for sure.

(2012-05-20 09:32)

A Special Relationship Revisited

This review is from: The Special Relationship (DVD) Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed this BBC-HBO production immensely, largely because of Martin Sheen's nuanced portrayal of Tony Blair. I have to acknowledge, however, that viewer reactions might be based upon how one feels about both Blair and Clinton. Some might find the film either too pro- or too con, because of the writers' and director's determination to keep the scenario firmly anchored in the middle of the political road, allowing the viewer to make up his mind on whether Blair began his political career as a novice, learned the political tricks of the trade (no pun intended) from a master conjurer, and then surpassed his mentor in dealing squarely with political reality. The director is particularly neutral in his attitude toward the present Secretary of State, well acted by Hope Davis, while he allows (constantly munching) Dennis Quaid as her philandering husband to suggest a cringing leer, when she questions him about the truth of the scandal; and Helen McCrory's Cherie, suggests, not-quite subtly, a crypto-Lady MacBeth in waiting. Not really over-the-top performances, but almost!Michael Sheen's often-underplayed portrayal of Blair, however, keeps the film on track. He shows us a combination of vulnerable charm that soon emerges as infectious charisma, that the original does possess, whether one approves of him politically or not. Watching Sheen's portrayal, I found myself, at first, constantly readjusting my perspective, telling myself: "no, Sheen doesn't look like Blair." Soon, however, I forgot about my initial scepticism, accepting him without reserve as Tony Blair. I therefore wish that the cinematographer had photo-shopped Sheen in the final newsreel scenes, because the sight of the real Blair brought me back to reality, but perhaps a sudden dose of reality is exactly what the director had in mind.

(2012-05-17 18:15)

a Review of the MOVIE..not a political opinion...

Unlike others boasting of Clintons greatness or blasting him and Blair for their horrible atrocities ...I'll review the movie. I received a "screener" and its an hour and a half ..not the 5 or 600 minutes that Amazon.com lists. Its a good movie...Quaid is very good and Sheen as its already been noted has played Blair twice before and is fabulous. Hope Davis is also terrific as Hillary. If you enjoyed Frost/Nixon, The Queen, or The Deal...you should enjoy this drama. I can't give it a 5 star review although I was tempted because its a bit lighter weight than say Frost/Nixon which is a solid 5 in my humble opinion.If you have an axe to grind in either direction on this you may wish to avoid...if you can check your party politics at the door and just enjoy this deliciously well acted big time political "soap opera" then I heartily recommend. Personally ....Quaid laying on the bed with a small television in his lap and continually pounding down Doritos was almost worth it for me...good fun, interestingly written a great diversion for an hour plus...and better in my opinion than most of the 3D and CGI filled theatrical releases of the day.

(2012-05-17 10:29)

Tony Blair Meets Bill Clinton

Michael Sheen is to Tony Blair what Raymond Massey was to Abraham Lincoln.Massey may have had an acting advantage, since there were no movies or sound recordings of the 16th President that could be used for comparison, but Sheen has certainly employed the modern technology to his benefit. Indeed, there are many moments in his portrayal of the former British Prime Minister when you forget that you are not watching the real man.THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP, from HBO Home Entertainment, marks the third time that Sheen has played Blair on screen. Since the plot centers on him, rather than, for example, Queen Elizabeth, his portrayal in this film is much more comprehensive than his earlier efforts.Set against world events, Peter Morgan's script is, in essence, a story about a "student" learning from and then surpassing his "teacher". The "teacher" in this case is President Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid in a remarkable performance). Clinton was nearing the end of his first term as President when Blair became Prime Minister. There was an immediate rapport between the two men and, both being liberals, they pledged to make their "special relationship" work and together bring the free world to their political way of thinking. Blair stood by Clinton when the President's embarrassing sexual affairs nearly brought down his Presidency, but the two friends butted heads over the war in Bosnia.Directed by Richard Loncraine, this fine film examines the nature of friendship in the world of politics. Hope Davis presents a credible performance as Hillary Clinton and Helen McCrory, as Blair's wife, steals every scene in which she appears.The DVD includes a "Making of" featurette.© Michael B. Druxman

Theo Robertson (2012-05-15 18:59)

Subtle But With One Major Fault

What can the average Briton say about Tony Blair ? Lots of things andnone of them complimentary . A few months ago former Labour partyleader Michael Foot died so we got the retrospective memoriam and onecan't help feeling nostalgic for the very democratic society we had inBritain circa 1983 . You might not have agreed with Foot or PrimeMinister Magaret Thatcher but you couldn't deny that both were drivenby principles . Indeed included amongst the reportage of Michael Footwe saw him leading a march for the unemployed . Now hands up anyone whohas ever seen any Senior figure from the Labour Party in the lasttwenty years even make the token gesture of being on the side of theproles ? Yeah I thought not . Blair was Prime Minister through default. Never one to miss the opportunity for a photo call or a sound bite hewas very lucky to become party leader due to the death of John Smith ,though he wasn't so lucky to become Prime Minister . Politics inBritain is very cyclical in that a government spends many years inpower with the opposition getting voted in simply because they're notgovernment party From the outset THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP paints Tony Blair in a subtleway . He comes across as some type of outsider who wants to be the mostpopular person in the room but doesn't know how to go about . Realistswill state with more than a little cynicism that if that's the caseBlair is in he wrong game , but to give Blair is due he had a damnedgood try . The film starts in 1992 where on a trip to Washington Blairis introduced to the American Democratic spin machine and is told indetail what voter demographic to target , Tellingly he's also told thatcrime weighs heavily in elections . No one honestly thought that duringhis tenure as shadow home secretary Blair thought up his sound bitecatchphrase of " tough on crime - tough on the causes of crime " on hisown and it's here it's revealed as being the invention of American spindoctors . Shows you how bad a politician he is if he has to travel over3,000 miles to steal a sound bite off someone else Whilst never hitting upon out and out satire the subtle , somewhatcynical nature of THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP entirely rings true . Notonly is Tony Blair wanting to be best friends with the USA he alsowants to be best friends with everyone in Europe in general and theFrench in particular . He assures French President Jacques Chirac that" I've always been a European and will always remain a European " .Jump forward to May 1997 and Blair is taking congratulations fromChirac over the phone only for the call to be cancelled when PresidentClinton calls . What makes the scene so amusing is that Blair iscrestfallen when he realises Clinton has him on hold . I'll say onething about Blair and that is he's very forgiving . Most people wouldhave held a grudge at this display of bad manners . That said howeververy few people spend their entire lives trying to be best friends withthe most powerful man on the planet . What the film is very good at itis comparing the contrast between Blair and Clinton . Blair comesacross as a rather weak personality but a brilliant politician where asClinton comes across as a weak politician but having a forcefulpersonality compensating for his character and political flaws What the film does rather badly - and it's a pretty big fault - is themotivation of the two leaders over Kosovo . Blair and Clinton had adifference of opinion over the conflict with the American Presidentwanting to limit the war to air strikes while the British PrimeMinister wanted to send a NATO ground force in to the province from theoutset . But is this actually true ? If so why'd Blair suddenly turn into a real life Russell Crowe character ? Were his motives genuine orwas he just wanting to impress his best friend President Clinton .We've all seen the real life Tony Blair give Churchillian speechesabout upholding international law and human rights but was he reallybeing so principled ? One hopes when we get THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP 2- BUSH AND BLAIR we get to see much more behind closed door sceneshonestly explaining why Blair seemed to hang on to Bush's coat tails sotightly The cast as can be expected are very good . One can't help thinkingwhat Michael Sheen would be like playing a fictional character .Imagine if Steven Moffat cast him as The Doctor in DOCTOR WHO . Wouldhe be so good at playing someone from scratch ? He is certainly nothingless than brilliant playing diverse real life characters such asKenneth Williams , David Frost and Brian Clough and it'd be very veryuncharitable to state he seems to have played Tony Blair more oftenthan Tony Blair did . Denis Quaid is an revelation as Bill Clinton andwho can understand why Clinton got away with so much during his tenureof President by sheer force of personality alone . It's a very good onform cast who rise above the sometimes underwritten motives of theircharacters

(2012-05-15 05:18)

Great caricatures of Tony Blair and Hilary Clinton but Quaid is no Bill Clinton.

How you feel about this HBO Original Film - which garnered FIVE Emmy Nominations will definitely depend on your political beliefs and how you felt about President Bill Clinton and his "personal" problems while in office. There's no denying that. The film doesn't really take sides but there is a bit of a slant to it.Actually the film - a co production with the BBC - is just as much about British Prime Minister Tony Blair and is the third in a trilogy about him, all starring Michael Sheen as Blair. He looks a lot like him too. Clinton is played by Dennis Quaid and looks very little like him. And his drawl is almost a caricature. It takes a long while to not be distracted by this Saturday Night Live- type imitation. And this was the most disappointing part of the film for me. Hope Davis as Hilary Clinton, however is spot-on! She looks like her and captures her body language and speech patterns even better than Tina Fey channels Sarah Palin. If the ever make The Hilary Clinton Story, Davis needs to fill the title role!The period covered in the film is just 5 years and its recent history to us. Maybe over time the Clinton impression will seem less off-putting. And the use by Director Richard Loncraine of real footage near the end of the film makes the role seem even more miscast.There is only ONE bonus feature: A less-than five minute "making of" featurette that adds nothing of value to the film.One of three recent Emmy Nominated HBO films to see light on DVD this fall (the others were the five star films You Don't Know Jack and Temple Grandin), this one is unfortunately not up to the usual HBO standards, in my opinion.Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"

Bonnie Orr (2012-05-15 03:05)

fantastic

I enjoyed every minute of this film and think it represents the best inpolitical filmmaking. As a former high school civics teacher, I wish Ihad had a film like this to show my classes on the inner workings ofreal government. I highly recommend that teachers rent this film alongwith "All the President's Men" to explore both the weaknesses andstrengths of our democratic system.Dennis Quaid was Bill Clinton. I found the film to be even-handed and responsible in covering eventsin our history that many of us wish had never happened. Loved thekitchen scene after Bush's victory speech between Blair and Clinton.Don't miss the opportunity to rent or buy this film!

(2012-05-14 11:16)

I did not have sex...

SPOILER ALERT ABOUT ENDING!==Hooray! Second to review! I'd have prefered first, though.This nearly made my eyeballs fall out when I saw Michael Sheen was reprising his portrayal of former Prime Minister Tony Blair--for the third time now--and I flew off my seat when I saw Dennis Quaid was playing President Bill Clinton. And this movie does not disappoint.Naturally, "the special relationship" can be traced back to King George VI (the queen's father), who developed what he called "a special relationship" with FDR and the U.S. While the film misleads a bit about that - the idea that all countries want a special relationship with the U.S., how arrogant can we get - it certainly describes the very spine of the narrative here. Though THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP is not as rich and well-planned-out as Stephen Frears' THE QUEEN (with Michael Sheen in his second role reprisal as Blair) it is fascinating to watch the great friendship between Blair and the Clintons. It's fun to see the Clintons and the Blairs privately talking about each other, and a profound sadness at seeing their friendship meltdown. Quaid hands in an Oscar-worthy one here. Clinton is the next Nixon as we all know, and no actor has taken a shot at Clinton. Quaid has set a standard, and I hope everyone gets to see this. He could so easily have caricatured the president in an ugly way, he could have ruined the voice...in short, it's the actor's old "Nixon Trap". Quaid nails the voice and ensures that nothing goes awry with his portrayal. Also pleasing to see was the return of Michael Sheen's partners-in-crime, Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair and the annoying Mark Bazeley as Alastair Campbell. (Gosh, is this Campbell like that in real life? No wonder Blair has aged badly.) Though the film looks too hard toward THE QUEEN and THE DEAL (the tv film in which Sheen first played Blair), both Frears-directed films and both fascinating, thus causing it to fall a bit short, it is riveting nevertheless. The crises facing Clinton and the triumphs facing Blair cannot be missed. Did you know that not only England but also America half-jokingly wanted Blair as "king"? He was that popular, even though this movie makes it look like Clinton taught Blair everything.The concentration on Blair's achievements vis-a-vis Bosnia as well as Northern Ireland is superb. While Clinton assisted Blair through the horribly bloody waters of Ireland's problems, Blair later looked to Clinton for help with Milosevic in Bosnia--help which Clinton was unwilling to give.Thus begins the downward spiral in Blair-Clinton relations, because Clinton begins to doubt Blair was ever really a left-centrist progressive. Meanwhile Blair practically kills himself defending Clinton morally. It is sad to see who the better man really is, and it isn't Clinton. Had he not turned a friendship into an endless pissing contest, insulting and accusing Blair at every turn, history might be very different.Clinton's endless, jealous rants about Blair's legacy was a most astonishing and little-known fact. It is, I guess, to Clinton's credit that he didn't publicly air this laundry. Blair, whatever his apparent shortcomings, is shown through and through as a great man, which he is.Andre Desplat comes back with some THE QUEEN-tinged soundtrack but he really holds back. Some of it literally sounds "rinky-dink" and anemic. I wonder why they would allow Desplat to get away with this kind of thing. The performances and terrific humor in this film make up for the little soundtrack. ==SPOILER, ENDING: I was startled by the end of this film, in which we see the real press conference between Blair and George W. Bush at Camp David. Why not do it with actors?--and it struck me, this is brilliant, really not done often or done well. It's leading us, as it were, back into 'real' reality. And what a snappy bite, seeing the real moron who would step in to lead this nation, with Blair standing next to him in a state of semi-shocked disbelief. No wonder they went with the real deal and not actors. Get this, enjoy it and make sure Mr. Blair does not lose his well-earned place in our history.

(2012-05-10 23:54)

Some Hits and Misses!

The Special Relationship is between two men, United States PresidentBill Clinton played by Dennis Quaid and British Prime Minister TonyBlair played again by Michael Sheen OBE. In this film, it examinestheir friendship and relationship over the course of the Bosnianconflict in the later nineties. It also includes their wives. HillaryRodham Clinton is played perfectly by Hope Davis. Cherie Blair isplayed well by Helen McCrory. This film would be wonderful to showschool children but because of Clinton's misconduct with MonicaLewinsky and the lewd language. It should not shown at least passedover. I love Michael Sheen's Tony Blair and Dennis Quaid does afabulous Bill Clinton. It's like a platonic love affair between two menboth who admire each other but have differences. The writing could bebetter but there are great moments in the film between the couples aswell.

Biggest_Loser (2012-05-10 14:59)

Dennis Quaid brings power and humanity to a distinct historical figure

This is set during the 90s with hopeful Labour candidate Tony Blair(Michael Sheen) looking to help his party claim victory in a generalelection for the first time in over twenty years. He intends to boosthis popularity by meeting with the US President Bill Clinton (DennisQuaid). The plan works for the polls and it also sparks a friendshipbetween the two leaders. One aspect they share in common is that theyare both watched over by their dominant wives Hilary Clinton (HopeDavis) and Cherie Blair (Helen McCrory). Their friendship continuesover the years and is tested most fiercely during the Monica Lewinskyscandal. Despite being mocked by the other world leaders, Blair standsup for Clinton without knowing the whole truth. Having shown hisloyalty, Blair sees this as an opportunity to pressure the experiencedUS President when it counts most, specifically during the Bosnian War.He calls upon the reluctant US government to commit ground troops tocombat the invasion, further testing his friendship with Clinton.Despite having the credentials of Peter Morgan as a screenwriter, whopreviously wrote The Queen and Frost/Nixon, this compelling film is notbeing as widely distributed as it should be. It is being released inonly three countries, including the US as a telemovie by HBO. It isdisappointing that it will not reach a wider audience because directorRichard Loncraine has taken a new side of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama,showing the development of a power game that would haunt Blairthroughout the rest of his political career. As with Frost/Nixon themain players here are shown in a human light but with slightly morehumour this time. Both Blair and Clinton are shown at home, interactingwith their families to make them seem more relatable before their fatalmistakes. It pays off in the final third, the most intensely toldportion of the story, with Blair's self-righteousness and overtlyChristian values becoming more apparent as he tries to justify theBritish and US involvement with the Bosnian crisis. The film isstructured like a Greek tragedy, given that Blair's hubris takes over,believing that his involvement with the Republicans will be a similarrelationship to the one he shared with Clinton. It is because of thedisaster of the war in Iraq that the audience realises that this willnot be the case, giving the film powerful dramatic irony. It is withthese final moments of The Special Relationship, particularly whenClinton warns him about what is to come, that the film accentuates itspoint and truly soars.The essence of this film is a character study and the performances areuniformly excellent. Although Dennis Quaid might have once seemed likea rather unlikely choice to play Clinton he embodies this role so wellthat it becomes more than just an impersonation. He balances the keyaspects of Clinton's leadership, as a hugely charismatic and invitingperson but there is also something far more sinister that arises in himwhen he confronts Blair about the crisis. The film asserts that Clintonnever stopped being a politician, even in the face of Hilary when helies straight to her about his involvement with Lewinsky. The only hintof vulnerability he shares is when he looks out a car window at the USCapitol, perhaps realising the dwindling nature of his legacy andreputation. Michael Sheen has played Blair before and here hecharacterises him as a bumbling Englishman who is initially in awe ofhis situation. The way that he becomes more and more self-assured doesnot feel rushed or contrived but entirely believable because of ourknowledge about the sort of person he would grow into. The roles ofboth women have not been underwritten either. They're bothcharacterised and performed sharply as powerful and unflinching. Thoughthere are light comic touches applied to Cherie, such as when Blairasks if she would leave him under the same circumstances and she says:"no...but I would make your life hell".This is an intense and grossing political drama that not only speaksabout transnational negotiations but it also broadens one's perspectiveof particular political events and how they would influence the future.The events are told precisely with both humour and intensity, beggingthe question as to why the film itself has such minimal distribution.Those that do see the film will be engaged by the quality of the topperformances, particularly Dennis Quaid who brings power and humanityto a distinct historical figure. It's an important political filmbecause it reflects on how these events would continue to influencesome of the most significant choices made by politicians in the 21stcentury.

(2012-05-04 16:58)

inside the clinton presidency with tony blair

This review is from: The Special Relationship (DVD) Here is a great movie portraying just how our government and the President of the United States of America wheels and deals with its allies to how a president and corrupt government can cover up incidents that ordinarily happen. it shows the powerfull relationship that the US and our ally Britian work hand in hand together to keep us as a superpower in the world game of risk. great inside look into the clinton-blair aka the special relationship bond between the US and GB. very entertaining and you learn alot about just how much power our President has and can use at his will.

(2012-05-04 02:58)

Three HBO Films Keep It Real--The Bromance Between Blair and Clinton

In the realm of made-for-TV movies, there is no question that HBO has been leading the way with critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated fare within recent years. Take 2010, for example, with HBO's "The Pacific" ruling in the mini-series category--three other HBO productions were left battling it out in the film subdivision. "You Don't Know Jack," a Barry Levinson biopic about assisted-suicide maverick Jack Kevorkian, netted 15 Emmy nominations and won Al Pacino a statue as Best Actor. "Temple Grandin," another biopic--this one about the autistic Grandin who became a pioneer in animal husbandry--also garnered 15 nods and was the night's big winner. In addition to Outstanding Made For Television Movie, it won Best Actress for Claire Danes as well as supporting statuettes for David Strathairn and Julia Ormond. And finally, there was "The Special Relationship," depicting the bond between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, which was a bridesmaid with five nominations and no wins. All in all, a good showing for HBO! Arguably the film with the highest profile and most distinguished pedigree of the three is "You Don't Know Jack." Interestingly enough, it is also my least favorite. There is certainly nothing wrong with "Jack" and I learned quite a bit about Kevorkian, who to my mind is darn near a saint. From a surprisingly humble beginning, Kevorkian was a trailblazer and with single-minded purpose became a figurehead in groundbreaking legal debates about medical ethics. It's a great and fascinating story, but Levinson gives it a surprisingly by-the-numbers presentation. Anyone familiar with the routine cadence of a biopic will agree that this one ticks all the expected boxes. Pacino is refreshingly restrained and, for the first time in years, brings an understated dignity to a role. He does well capturing the unprepossessing doctor and he is ably assisted by John Goodman, Brenda Vaccaro, and Susan Sarandan. "You Don't Know Jack" is a good film that's at its best when looking at the quietly intimate moments of Kevorkian's patients. "Temple Grandin," on the other hand, is the most unexpected of the three films. I was fearful that "Grandin" might be a bit like medicine--good for me but not very fun. But not so! Both heartfelt and entertaining, this film pulses with life. In an interesting visual style, it attempts to connect the viewer to how Grandin's mind visualizes things. Unique in its presentation, it's also a dynamic narrative device! Claire Danes does her best work in years--it's a showy role, but she doesn't showboat. And like Pacino, Danes does a nice job of approximating the real life inspiration. Grandin's story is terrific too. She overcomes so much as a woman, as someone with autism, as someone who seems incapable of normalcy. Through sheer perseverance and stubbornness, she made people listen and became an industry leader in the humane treatment of livestock. Fascinating stuff, really--makes me wish I had a bit more gumption. And then we have the utterly charming "The Special Relationship." Another film that is far more engaging than one might predict, "Relationship" plays almost like a sly comedy of manners. A terrific Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair--and really who else could play Blair? This is his third collaboration as Blair with screenwriter Peter Morgan. A young Blair is infatuated with Bill Clinton (nicely done by Dennis Quaid) and adopts much of his style from his mentor. The two form a friendship with Clinton in the driver's seat, but through the years as scandal strikes--there is a delicate shift in balance that makes for a role reversal. Topical and true to the historical events, "Relationship" is also a smart and amusing riff on male bonding. Morgan continues to be one of our strongest writers so it's no surprise that this is a literate and winning film. Hope Davis also does a good Hillary. All in all, these are three worthwhile films. Maybe it would make a fun biopic triple feature. "Jack" ranks about 3 1/2 stars--nice but conventional. "Grandin" would be about 4 1/2 stars--director Mick Jackson does wonders with the visual aspects of the film. And "Relationship" would fall in between at 4 stars for making recent history seem new again. Keep it up HBO! KGHarris, 10/10.

paul2001sw-1 (2012-05-01 10:10)

Politcs as character

The joy of writer Peter Morgan's films about British politics is theseductive plausibility of their imaginative reality. Instead ofbrimming with vicious cynicism, he's more interested in inventing ahuman dimension behind the strange public faces of figures such asBlair, Brown, and the royal family. In this film, his third featuringMartin Sheen playing Blair as an over-eager schoolboy, the greatestdelight came in the deft (and surprisingly soft) portrayal of his wifeCherie. And yet the limits of the approach are maybe more apparent inthis film than in the other two, both of which focused on his earliercareer. Morgan takes his script in the right direction - to explore howBlair came to support the neo-conservative policies of Geroge W. Bush(although portraying Bill Clinton as Blair's social democraticconscience is frankly a bit rich). But the absence of any focus onBritish domestic policy seems a bit limiting. Blair's recentlypublished memoirs indicate that a man who once a popular hero who savedthe British Labour party from self-destruction now appears in agreementwith the right on more than just foreign policy. And in spite of theattractive thesis of Morgan's story, I don't think that this can beentirely explained in terms of personal chemistry. But it's fun toimagine that it was.

(2012-05-01 08:22)

Not That Special After All!

The film analyzes the relationship between the United States and Great Britain under President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the second term of the Clinton administration. The film has a great cast. Dennis Quaid really becomes Bill Clinton and not a caricature on Saturday Night Live. Hope Davis does a very good job in capturing Hillary Rodham Clinton's character. It's really Michael Sheen's performance as Prime Minister Tony Blair and Helen McCrory's performance as his wife. They played the same roles in the film, "The Queen." Anyway, this film might be useful in the schools regarding international politics but the Lewinsky scandal and vulgar descriptions make it hard to pass the censor. Regardless, I didn't find the story that intriguing except that Blair comes across as idealing Clinton as some hero. It's really Blair's story about Milosevic and the horrors in the former Yugoslavian nation. Blair comes alive when he's fighting for injustice.I just wished that they added more features regarding the history and the background of two important players in international politics.

eastbergholt2002 (2012-04-28 07:24)

Disappointing

The Special Relationship is a disappointing and shallow film about TonyBlair's relationship with two U.S. presidents. Blair is a conundrum andprobably only his wife really knows what makes him tick. Peter Morganhas almost become Blair's official biographer in film, however his takeon Blair seems superficial and simple-minded. Morgan's Blair islikable, charismatic, loyal and sincere. He's also a devoted family manand a Christian. In this film he is constantly trying to do the rightthing and comes off like a cross between a soap-opera character and asecular saint. Most people in Britain wouldn't buy into thisinterpretation.The men and women who become the leaders of countries are usuallyincredibly ambitious, manipulative and complicated. They often likeClinton and Kennedy have potentially self destructive appetites. Blairwe are meant to believe is just like a suburban dad. I have always beensomewhat cynical about Blair's motives. When I first came across himduring an election campaign in 1983 he was a socialist who recommendednationalization and nuclear disarmament. He gradually moved to theright and around 2003 became a fully fledged neocon. This film suggests that Blair was basically a good guy trying to helpthe oppressed peoples of the world. For most people in Britain he issomeone who put the interests of the United States above those of hisown country. Not surprisingly he is still popular in the US but at homehe hasn't been forgiven for supporting the Iraq War and for claimingthat Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Blair left office withapproval ratings in the mid-twenties and British newspaper columnistslove to write negative articles about him. The big mystery is whatmotivated his course of action, until his liaison with Bush he waspopular. Since his resignation in 2007 Blair has done well financiallyout of his unwavering support for US foreign policy. In Polanski's theGhost Writer it is even suggested that Blair was working for the CIA.It's a mystery this film doesn't help solve. MI5 has gone on record tosay that Saddam wasn't a threat to Britain in 2003. The Special Relationship is a throw-back to the biopics of the 1940swhen "great men" were viewed sympathetically. I am looking forward tosomeday watching a film about the real Tony Blair. He is a moreinteresting character than the portrait painted in this simple-mindedrationalization.

Ross Dunne (2012-04-27 20:38)

Two leaders interact on a political and personal level

This movie gives an entertaining and intriguing glimpse at two recentleaders of Britain and America, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, and howthey connected on a personal and political level. We have heard a greatdeal about the Bush-Blair relationship but the Clinton-Blair connectionhas not been the same grist for the mill. They are kindred spirits inpolitics but their personal styles are another matter. So the clashesseem inevitable as Clinton comes across as an insightful but boorishPresident to Blair's calculating idealism.Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton gives a superb performance as theex-President, while Michael Sheen is the eager-to-learn protégé, TonyBlair. One forgets that it is Quaid and not Clinton on the screen; theportrayal is that close to the mark. The intense Blair is moredifficult to pin down but Michael Sheen has played Blair before andagain gives a competent performance. Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton fittheir supporting characters as well, particularly Hope Davis as theformer First Lady. Davis conveys the steely determination of theambitious Rodham-Clinton. McCrory is the anti-establishment spouse whois more attuned to taking pot shots from the sidelines.All in all, an interesting take on the two leaders and their spouses asthey wade through domestic and international crises, ranging fromKosovo and Northern Ireland to the Lewinsky affair. This is a moviethat I would readily watch again. It deals in a compelling way with twovery fascinating men whose stories are still fresh in the public mindbut whose legacies are still undecided.