The Politician's Husband (2013)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The Politician's Husband is a very enjoyable three part mini series, which delves into the murky world of Westminster, the backstabbing and willingness to sell anyone out to get to the top, at the cost of anything and anyone.The story is good, if I'm absolutely honest I think it started better then it finished, Part one promised a tale of revenge and seething jealousy, we got it for the most part, but I felt a little short changed in the concluding episode. Plenty going on, at times a little too much, it's almost as if they tried cramming in to many twists, au pairs, drowning children etc. The acting was extraordinary, very much The BBC at is best, Emily Watson and David Tennant both fantastic, and worthy of their individual statuses as superb talents. A word also for Jack Shepherd, Ed Stoppard and Roger Allam, all excellent.I applaud them for giving us a Political drama, a genre are starved of on British screens, it's a good story, with amazing performances, it just perhaps loses a little focus in the end. Worth a look though, 8/10

I love political drama. The West Wing was absorbing, and Borgen, the brutally realistic depiction of the first woman P.M of Denmark, including the breakup of their marriage and rather genuine depiction of lust was brilliant.This series that we watched in one sitting on Netflix, did have some structure of political reality, yet there was a single scene, one of sexuality as assaultive hatred, of the husband brutalizing his wife, that certainly was "realistic." Yet, there was no warning, nor was there any realism that was consistent with their status and relationship.It was just thrown in to attract a certain audience who considers this as being edgy I write this review to warn others that this is not an "adult" themed film, but excess in the form of realism. I'm no prude, but this scene was sickening and destroyed the film for myself and my wife.

Short story long:Aiden Hoynes and his wife Freya are both ministers in the same political party. Aiden tries a leadership bid which is foiled by his supposed best friend and finds himself left out in the cold as his wife becomes a member of the cabinet. He feels emasculated and doesn't deal with this very well. The main storyline is Aiden's increasingly tangled web of deception and corruption and the effect on his marriage. He also has an ailing father and a son with Asperger's which he has to contend with.Review:Emily Watson and David Tennant are incredible. They're portraying people with very different temperaments which complements them well. Emily Watson's Freya is rather quiet and unassuming yet very smart, she seems distant at times and then just has things figured out. Brilliant performance. David Tennant's Aiden is suitably dark and twisted. His performance is much more vocal than Emily's. Gradually gets more and more horrifying until you're left clutching your face.Lots of plot twists and unexpected turns as political views change and people switch allies. I assume it's typical of parliament.Verdict: If you like gritty dark political drama watch this and if you want to see Tennant do some proper seriously dark acting watch this. A bit too gritty and dark for me, I prefer lighter fare. This is entirely personal taste though and I can still appreciate the brilliantly crafted story lines and acting talents.Warnings: Scene of sexual violence. Advised not to watch if you like Doctor Who and want to see any of his Tenth Doctor adventures again. If you're like me and prefer light action and comedy type shows then I would avoid it if you think you can't stomach it. Or just make sure you've got a fun comedy series or movie lined up for afterwards. Not a show for just before bedtime.

I had this for two days before sitting down to watch, mainly because of the reviews I had read and the spoilers that turned me off to some aspects of the movie. When will I learn? I bought it because David Tennant is an excellent actor and that is the only way I get to see most of his work here in the states. Aiden Hoynes is a politician to his fingertips, but he is also a husband, one who feels that his wife betrayed him and I think his reactions were realistic. It is strange that a woman wrote this and yet the woman is the character who is lacking. She is simply a female version of her husband, yet she keeps trying to hold him to a standard that she does not cleave to herself. Who is she in love with? After she basically calls off her marriage because her husband brings down his ex-best-friend whom had betrayed him and tried to seduce her I lost all sympathy for her. I think at that point every woman in a good marriage watching the movie knew that she cared more about her career and herself than she did anything else, yes she could have been brought down at the same time but didn't she help to contribute to his fall? I did not like how the movie ended because it left their relationship too ambiguous. Freya also reminded me way too much of Hilary Clinton. On the surface this looks like a ruthless husband trying to hold his wonderful wife back, I think the end supports my viewpoint - it is the story of an ambitious woman who sends her husband out to get shot first and take care of the bad guys leaving her free to enjoy the life insurance - luckily for Aiden she can't get rid of him that easily. I am looking forward to watching it again for the nuances that I always miss when I'm watching to see what happens next.