An excellent biopic about LBJ that is carried by the brilliant performance by Harrelson. Even if what some people (better acquainted with the historical facts about LBJ than me) claim, that the movie is a bit biased towards Johnson, it is still an excellent and pretty deep portrait of the man and his environment at the time. A great gateway into the time and the man that invites to study further the facts of the time.

Under a heavy set of liver-spotted prosthetics, Woody Harrelson portrays the 36th President. Once an effective Senate majority leader, Lyndon Johnson was wrangled into a toothless role as Kennedy’s strategic running mate in 1961. Soon derided by the cabinet and dismissed by the President, he was effectively neutered by the promotion until an assassin’s bullet catapulted him into the country’s most powerful position. _LBJ_ examines the Texas politician’s backroom deals, his personal uncertainties, his rocky relationship with the Kennedy brothers and his determination to see his predecessor’s signature civil rights legislation through to the finish line. Plenty of meat on the bone for a good political biography there, especially as Johnson had such a notoriously colorful personality, but this one comes up short. Harrelson is a total mismatch for the leading role, all southern drawl and no charismatic magnetism, but he’s not even the film’s worst fit. Richard Jenkins plays JFK like a bad imitation on open mic night, his characteristic Boston accent faked in all the worst ways, while Michael Stahl-David’s depiction of a young Bobby Kennedy looks and acts like a cocky James Franco. Johnson’s private disagreements with RFK are well-documented, and that icy tension fuels most of this dramatization, but Bobby’s character in _LBJ_ is awfully one-sided. In short, he’s a total dick. A raging, manipulative foil for Johnson’s well-intentioned good ol’ boy. Animosity is usually a two-way street, but we never see anything like that from Lyndon. I’m not entirely convinced this wasn’t a simple _Funny or Die_ sketch that spiraled way out of control. Johnson’s famous leaked phone call with a tailor shop (the one where he belches and rambles on about his bunghole) is here in its entirety, as is a riotous scene in which he dictates bureaucratic business from the toilet. Those certainly lend some extra tread to his character’s rough edges, not to mention lightening the narrative, but both scenes linger, awkwardly, to the point of obsession. An entertaining film, no doubt about it, but not for the reasons that I suspect director Rob Reiner intended.

I’m not sure about the historical accuracy, but Woody Harrelson's portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson is notable. He brings depth and authenticity to the character, making the film a decent watch for his performance alone. While the accuracy may be debatable, Harrelson's portrayal is the main standout in this biopic.

From Rob Reiner comes the incredibly compelling political thriller LBJ. The story follows Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson in the mist of the Kennedy assassination as he’s swept into the presidency and has to decide how to proceed with Kennedy’s social agenda and what kind of president he wants to be. Starring Woody Harrelson, Jeffrey Donovan, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the film has an impressive cast that delivers some really good performances. And, the script is especially well-written and uses flashbacks to cover Johnson’s political career and history with the Kennedys. However, it kind of skirts around the Vietnam War, focusing instead on Johnson as the workhorse who turned Kennedy’s dream into a reality with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There’s a rose-colored tint to LBJ, but it’s still a fascinating look at the man who shepherded the country through an extraordinary crisis.

I didn't know much about this President before watching the film, other than the fact he instigated the Vietnam War (bad) and brought into fruition civil rights (good). Harrelson disappears into the role with consummate ease, and it's partly because of his performance that the film rises above the dry biopic it could have been.