Delayed Reaction: Weiner

The Pitch: Anthony Weiner's redemption story takes an abrupt turn.

A documentary covering Anthony Weiner's failed run to become Mayor of New York.

I mean, just turn off the cameras, right?

The most amazing thing about Weiner is that it got filmed at all. I've discussed before how some documentaries are great entirely because the filmmaker is in the right place at the right time. That's certainly the case with Weiner. It began as a documentary about how Anthony Weiner tries to go from national punchline to Mayor of New York. That's already a pretty interesting story. I can imagine how the filmmakers expected that doc to work pretty easily: It covers the scandal that led to Weiner's resignation from congress. He explains how he's moved past that. He and his wife stand side-by-side as he tries to win the Democratic primary based on the issues, not the demons in his past. He still probably would've lost, but there would've been plenty to cover anyway and he could've come away from it all looking a lot better. Instead, right in the middle of his campaign, a whole new set of new stories come out about his online sexual behavior: encounters that occurred after he got in trouble for it the first time.

And they kept filming!

I don't think I can emphasize the craziness of that enough. Anthony Weiner runs into massive public humiliation [again] and lets the cameras keep rolling for this documentary that's being made about him.

The movie isn't a smear job either. Directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg stay pretty balanced. The few times Weiner is able to campaign about the issues, not his personal life are encouraging. Later in the movie, there's a campaign stop he makes, I think, in Staten Island. The way he turns that crowd around is impressive and serves as a reminder that he can be a great politician and leader when given a chance. Of course, the doc shows his other side as well. He's a bit of an egomaniac. He's willfully ignorant about the cause and effect of his actions on himself and others. It's a striking portrait of an imperfect man.

For me, the climax of the film is toward the end, when the filmmaker, from behind the camera, asks Weiner why he's still letting them film him. Weiner comes back with a better answer later, but in the moment, he just shrugs. Even he isn't sure. It's minor miracle that this movie exists, and I'm glad that Anthony Weiner was either foolish, cocky, or not too proud enough to let this exist.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend