Movie Review: The Special Relationship

The Special Relationship was known as the political partnership between England and the United States. In 1992 President Bill Clinton meets Labour leader Tony Blair before his time as Britain’s Prime Minister. Blair starts off admiring President Clinton then begins to see the reality of his relationship with the president and the politics that go with it. The inner workings of the two country’s political parties is examined closely, making clear that sometimes doing the right thing is not what politics requires of its leaders.

This HBO movie has some very solid performances, none better than by the ever excellent Michael Sheen. This is the third in a series of films with Michael Sheen playing Tony Blair (The Deal and The Queen), having seen all three movies Sheen embodies Blair very well. The story is interesting and provides behind the scenes reality as well as fictional conversations of what these political leaders were like during their time working together. The one miscast in the movie seems to be Quaid as President Bill Clinton. Other than a slight southern drawl I didn’t get a lot of authenticity from him as President Clinton. Hope Davis as First Lady Hillary Clinton nailed it, taking on her personality and mannerisms like a second skin, a great performance. Helen McCrory as Mrs. Blair was excellent, making the most of her role.

If politics intrigues you and you enjoy good acting, the story and performances in The Special Relationship are definitely worth a watch.

2010. Directed by Richard Loncraine. Starring Michael Sheen, Dennis Quaid, Hope Davis, Helen McCrory.

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