Beginning with the New Hampshire primary, Hegedus and Pennebaker chart the course of the 1992 presidential election leading up to Clinton's landside victory, and yet, the president himself is never mentioned in the opening credits. That absence speaks volumes: this film is about the campaign and the people who ran it, not the man who happens to profit from that effort. Bill Clinton is certainly a presence in the film, but beyond exhibiting his ability to inspire devotion in his supporters, he is almost an incidental figure. Instead the show belongs to James Carville and George Stephanapolous, the two men who spearhead his campaign.
The opening credit for Carville and Stephanopolous does more than just emphasize the central roles they occupy in the film, it brings to mind the connection between politics and theater. These men are performers and we are about to watch them win over the audience, in this case the American public. Like any great showbiz team, Carville and Stephanopolous play to their opposing strengths, employing sharply different tactics to ensure that all bases are covered.
An endless stream of chatter and deflection, good ole boy James Carville is the louder of the two. With squinty eyes and facetious perma-grin, Carville is forever on the defense, turning every attack on Clinton's position into an example of the media's double standard or Republican attempts to dismantle the Democratic Party. Watching Bush on television, Carville can't even sit through one speech without interjecting responses rapid-fire to his fellow campaigners. Unable to shield himself before the camera, the film captures the full force of this manic energy, both overwhelming and strangely magnetic.
A good head shorter and with considerably more hair, George Stephanopolous's appearance contrasts with the bald, lanky Carville almost as much as his demeanor. Speaking in calm, even tones, Stephanopolous disarms the media with his earnest intellect, smoothing over accusations while Carville counterattacks. He is less outrageous and obvious, but as the film reveals, when things are at their most critical, he exhibits a singular ability to take control and defuse the situation.
