Weiner! is the most entertaining political documentary in years

He can’t really have thought it was a great idea. The opening line of the film is Weiner saying to the camera: “Sh*t, this is the worst, doing a documentary on my scandal”.

For those who’ve already forgotten, Anthony Weiner is the New York congressman who made global headlines when he tweeted an image of his bulging underwear. Subsequently, it was revealed he was engaged in several sexting exchanges with various younger women under the alias Carlos Danger.

A promising politician known for his passionate oratory, he resigned in disgrace in 2011, tail between his legs.

Two years later, as he mounts the Anthony Weiner comeback tour, he gives documentarians Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg extraordinary behind-the-scenes access when he runs for mayor in New York City. A decision we would come to regret.

As unlikely as it seems, at first his campaign is doing reasonably well. The sexting thing keeps dogging him but, for the most part, the people on the streets love him. He has a message that resonates and many are willing to forgive his very public indiscretions. And you can see why. Publicly, he has an infectious energy and he’s adept at rallying supporters and bystanders.

So when he almost seems smug about his chances of a victory, it all comes crashing down. The filmmakers must have done a rain dance or prayed to ancient gods to have lucked into what happens next.

“Oops, I did it again.”Source:AFP

As the cameras are rolling, another scandal erupts. More sexts emerge and lascivious ladies like ‘Sydney Leathers’ out themselves as Weiner’s digital paramours. Technically, it’s a continuation of the same scandal but his campaign has been completely derailed. Nobody wants to talk about policy or vision, everyone wants to know about sexts and the women (Weiner himself can’t seem to keep track of how many women there were).

Not even Olivia Pope could’ve saved him f-rom this.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that someone with Weiner’s predilections would do best hiding in the shadows, not parading himself out in the open, glutton for punishment and a public flogging. But he admits that running for mayor was the “straightest line to clean up the mess I made.”

He also suggests that long-suffering wife Huma Abedin was keen for him to redeem himself publicly; that she wanted the life they used to have.

Abedin is the most intriguing person in the film. A long-time, high-profile adviser to Hillary Clinton, she floats in and out of the documentary, less so once the second scandal hits midway through. She’s c-harismatic, whip-smart and knows better than to give too much away in front of the cameras. It’s another reminder that she is entirely out of his league.

The good wife. Picture: Kathy Willens/APSource:AP

The dynamics of their relationship, her put-upon glances and his near-neglect of her interests is the emotional centre of the film. But it’s just a tease, there’s not nearly enough of it.

In recent remarks, Weiner said he saw the documentary as more of a study on media exploitation, and while those elements are apparent, it’s really about Weiner’s narcissism and his impeachable belief in himself.

Weiner’s utter inability to properly confront what he did — at no point does he acknowledge his actions as sexting or a sex scandal, he only ever calls it a “thing” — shows he’s still a long way away f-rom real redemption.

It’s understandable that he wants to be defined by more than just the scandal but that’s a disappointment he may have to shoulder. As he laments: “The punchline is true about me, I did the ‘dumb thing’, I did a lot of other things too.”

Weiner! is an eye-opening look at a political campaign in crisis and its fallout — the panic, the scrambling and the blind faith. Its fast pacing and frenetic energy mirrors the man it seeks to document.

When Weiner is on a self-destructive streak, it is a beauty to behold, watching him burn everything down in the name of pride.

This is not The West Wing, it’s more like Veep, except it really happened, in all its glorious absurdity. But above all, Weiner! is ridiculously entertaining.

Rating: 4/5

Weiner! is currently playing at the Sydney Film Festival and will be released later this year.

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