Primary Colors

This week's easiest comedy pick is Primary Colors. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 353 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. John Travolta's performance alone is worth the time investment. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Primary Colors arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Primary Colors does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. In this adaptation of the best-selling roman à clef about Bill Clinton's 1992 run for the White House, the young and gifted Henry Burton is tapped to oversee the presidential campaign of Governor Jack Stanton. Burton is pulled into the politician's colorful world and looks on as Stanton -- who has a wandering eye that could be his downfall -- contends with his ambitious wife, Susan, and an outspoken adviser, Richard Jemmons. John Travolta and Emma Thompson lead a cast with the timing to make it work. Primary Colors came out in 1998. Primary Colors earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, Primary Colors respects your intelligence. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. John Travolta's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.

Primary Colors was released in 1998, directed by Mike Nichols. The full 143-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.