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 LET’S
GET FRANK
(First Run
Features) 2003/2005. Documentary. 75 minutes. Not rated. First elected
to Congress (4th District, MA) in 1981, Democrat Barney Franks
is known for his intelligence, wit, outspokenness, and for being one of
the first openly gay members in politics, never mind the House of
Representatives. Early in his career, Frank was hit with a scandal that
appeared to jeopardize his livelihood but his openness, truthfulness, and
speech on the floor of the House saved him. Years later, Rep. Frank was an
instrumental figure in the
Clinton
impeachment hearings and was a media favorite due to his witty and often
amusing one liners. To this day, Barney Frank continues to be a media
darling while still commanding respect from both sides of the aisle.
For two years, Bart Everly tailed Rep. Barney Frank
capturing candid moments and personal interviews which he strung together
with government footage to construct Let’s Get Frank. While I found all the Barney Frank stuff
interesting and amusing, though none of it is new to me as I am very
familiar with Rep. Frank, the doc kind of loses its way with the obviously
biased take on the President Clinton impeachment hearings. Sure, it’s
great to take Barney Frank out of context to showcase his witty humor and
unique way of thinking, but to take others out of context simply skews the
facts. However, it is very interesting listening to those who thought that
if
Clinton
had handled his “scandal” as Frank handled his, he would have fared
much better than he did. Unlike other reviewers, I do not think Let’s
Get Frank is a good or even fair look at Congress, but it does give
viewers a great dosage of one of its best characters, Rep. Frank. Now, I
am not sure how this DVD will fly with those who are not familiar with
Barney Frank or not a Democrat or not a political junkie, so go bite me or
something. I enjoyed it. Golly, I have a great story that I witnessed
first hand concerning Barney Frank, but I’m afraid to put it here. –
Denis Sheehan
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