‘Weiner’ Film Review: This Is What Our Democracy Looks Like

At some heightened moment during documentaries like “Weiner,” which take certain infamous public figures as their subjects, savvy moviegoers will expect to see That Scene. Typically, it’ll be the one that announces itself, using any number of conventions, as the linchpin, the money shot, the glimpse into the whirring engine that powers the rest of the plot, not to mention its subject.

Usually some key trait is exposed, or choice bit of intel is unearthed, that requires no formal film school training to recognize as the makings of a lethal character flaw, driving motive, chief asset—or as the case appears to be here, all of the above.

But armchair psychology enthusiasts and political junkies who catch this humdinger of a campaign film will probably find it hard to pick That Scene from the impressive lineup of options that “Weiner” presents. And does “Weiner” ever present. …

Which brings us to the blatant innuendo portion of our program: There is, of course, a really obvious big reveal in the Anthony Weiner saga. However, the former U.S. congressman turned New York City mayoral candidate spoiled that one, via Twitter, long before these unnerving, mesmerizing 90 minutes of cinematic prophesy for the 2016 election season entered post-production.

For the handful of readers who are somehow still functioning without this crucial information: In 2011, Weiner, then a rising star from New York’s Democratic political scene, was caught tweeting out a photo of his barely clad crotch with the intent of conclusively resolving—for a female audience that didn’t include his wife, longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin—his stance on the important boxers-v.-briefs debate.

Worse, in 2013, after riding a freak wave of public forgiveness all the way to an even more improbable run for office, evidence surfaced of additional NSFW antics conducted in 140 characters or less. Another of Weiner’s sexting exchanges had gone public, this one featuring the mayoral hopeful completely nude. Weiner’s detractors went berserk, the inevitable jokes flew freely, and the once-promising politician’s notoriety was assured. The optics, as media handlers say, were not good.

In two catastrophic flourishes, Anthony Weiner’s career may have imploded, but his personal and professional failings provided the basis for what might be the most unnervingly canny big-screen treatment to date of America’s celebrity-mad political culture. And with that, the “Weiner” filmmakers were obliged to follow the lead of the voracious entertainment press by creating yet another build-’em-up-to-tear-’em-down spectacle.

Co-directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg started out making a very different documentary from the one they ended up with, thanks to circumstances entirely out of their hands and, tragically, entirely in Weiner’s. But his fatal compulsion made for their strongest asset, as well as a more significant film than they would otherwise have been able to piece together.

Here it would be useful to note that Kriegman was previously Weiner’s chief of staff, which in part explains Weiner’s willingness to continue granting Kriegman and Steinberg access to his thoughts and his private world after his story changes so abruptly. Instead of shutting down the project, Weiner opts to face the music, and throngs of extremely keen journalists, allowing the filmmakers to capture the agonizing fallout as news of his second sketchy foray into cyberspace breaks like a bad rash to the barely contained horror of his family, his staffers and his supporters.

The technical term for the pandemonium that follows is unquestionably a shit show. Everyone wants in on the public evisceration, from talk show hosts to angry voters to smug rubberneckers. Likewise, “Weiner” viewers are invited to realize, at some point over the course of the documentary’s insane final act, that they, too, are part of the force that is pushing the machinery of publicity into the homes, and pants, of public figures and private citizens alike.

Given the state of the 2016 presidential campaign, that short while ago when Weiner’s last name became a one-word punchline seems like a quaint bygone era when the notion of the political scandal still held a negative charge. It’s safe to say that perception has been further challenged by a politician whom Weiner—let alone his wife—would never dream of assisting.

But back to the choice of the money-shot scene mentioned above. This viewer votes for a telling showdown between Weiner and MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, who invites the twice-disgraced politician to appear on “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell” just as Weiner’s mayoral campaign is sputtering to a halt. O’Donnell immediately fires off an opening question that a different sort of politician would’ve taken in a much different direction: “What is wrong with you?”

Weiner takes that as an invitation to scrap it out like an old-school Jerry Springer guest. Later that night, he watches playback from the show with what can best be described as glee, as Abedin watches him with a mixture of puzzlement and dismay.

But even that episode may not have taken Weiner out of the running for good. As the closing credits roll, he turns up again in more recent television footage: There he is on “Real Time With Bill Maher,” gamely cracking jokes, his comic timing as on-point as his political commentary.

It would take considerable time and even more finesse, but if recent history is any indication, we still may not have seen Anthony Weiner’s last act on the political stage.