Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Clarissa Mora
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
Jerrie
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Noelle
The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.
Lee Eisenberg
In the past five years, Lyndon Johnson has gotten portrayed in movies a lot. He got played by Liev Schreiber in "The Butler", Tom Wilkinson in "Selma", Bryan Cranston in "All the Way", and now Woody Harrelson in "LBJ".*Rob Reiner's movie focuses on a few of the same things that "All the Way" did (namely Johnson's efforts to pass the Civil Rights Act in the wake of the Kennedy assassination), but focuses more on his few months before becoming vice president, and a bit on his days as veep, particularly his dislike of Bobby Kennedy. Nothing especially profound, but it makes clear that this was one brusque individual who made no pretense about who he was. In fact, there's a scene where he's conversing with Richard Russell and they casually talk about non-white people, even as the black maid serves them.It could've been a better movie, but I like how it let us see Johnson the man. It was a sad irony that right after Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Act, he escalated the Vietnam War.Also starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Richard Jenkins (Nate Sr on "Six Feet Under"), Bill Pullman, and C. Thomas Howell.*The only other person who's been this popular in cinema in the past few years is Winston Churchill. He got played by Brendan Gleeson in "Into the Storm", Timothy Spall in "The King's Speech", John Lithgow on "The Crown", Brian Cox in "Churchill" and Gary Oldman in "Darkest Hour".
armandocabral
I really enjoyed this movie. Woody was awesome. I like the 2 storylines and i thought it was very well put together. I wanted more
ckblanton-05099
Very disappointed that LBJ was depicted as a hostile foul mouthed man. That couldn't have been farther from the truth. He was known for his "Johnson Treatment" - using his political skills and relationships to bring out the best in people. He wanted this country to be a "Great Society" in which everyone was given a fair chance. In his early years he taught at an impoverished school. As president, he got the Civil Rights Act passed in spite of his southern back ground. He was able to convince his countrymen to do the right thing. He also strengthened Social Security and is the father of Medicare. Until Johnson came along, people had no health insurance in their old age. He wasn't glamorous - he was just good.
bkoganbing
I remember Lyndon B. Johnson quite well from the 60s, the man who made possible a social revolution that the Alt right is doing its best to demolish, but
who also enlarged the war in Vietnam and left us with a quagmire that haunts
us to this day. Although there's a good film out there with Randy Quaid as LBJ
Woody Harrelson will be as definitive a Johnson as Raymond Massey was a Lincoln. Harrelson really does come across like LBJ, both the public image and
from some of the saltier memoirs of the times. He had both a temper and a
command of the fouler parts of the English language. Harrelson is also well
matched with Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lady Bird Johnson.A whole life story might one day be filmed either for the big or small screen.
The various portions of Johnson's life might make a great miniseries. What we
are concerned here with is the years 1960 to 1964 when he is chosen by John F.
Kennedy as his Vice Presidential running mate. It was a demotion according
to Johnson and two history. No one as majority leader ever had a better grasp
of the Senate than Johnson, he was the second most powerful man in government after President Eisenhower. These also were the years that the Civil Rights Revolution kicked into high gear.
The white south and those who represented it, all Democrats then, a carryover
from the Civil War. were determined to preserve their 'way of life'. The south
had a lot of hopes and dreams invested in a southern president, but the country was ready for something wholly different. As Senate Majority Leader Johnson saw the passage of two Civil Rights laws, watered down though in
1957 and 1960.John and Robert Kennedy are played by Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Stahl-David. The contrast in the character of the two brothers is shown here. JFK
the more coolly detached and Bobby the more passionate. It made it possible
for Jack Kennedy to work with Lyndon. It also made it possible for Bobby to
have an unrelenting hatred for LBJ. Their personal feud shaped a lot of the
history of the latter part of the last century.When Johnson was in the House Of Representatives his mentor was Sam Rayburn fellow Texan and Speaker of the House. In the Senate it was Richard
B. Russell of Georgia, courtly southerner of the upper class plantation south and chair of the Armed Services Committee. Played here by Richard Jenkins,
Russell show Johnson all the levers of power and when to use them. Also
where all the bodies are buried in Washington, DC. It was with Russell's support with the southern bloc that Johnson became the Senate Majority Whip
in third year in the Senate, minority leader in his fifth year and Majority Leader
in the seventh year. There relationship has induced much speculation to this
day.LBJ is a slice of 60s history and love him for his social revolutionary war on poverty and hate him for the sinking quagmire of Vietnam, LBJ left his mark on the country. And Woody Harrelson has left his mark on LBJ.
