ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Beth Cole You can tell how evil or - can't really say "good", let's settle for "less evil" - a person is by the length and intensity of their glares.It's as if John Barrymore and Gloria Swanson were brought in as acting coaches.Worsened by head-scratching plot developments such as throwing out a diaphragm but leaving its box in the medicine cabinet (huh?).Oh, and these high-achieving politicians haven't mastered the basic use of a shredder, yet.So if you can buy all that, maybe you'll like the show. I didn't and was lol-ing my way through the end.

castricv LEt me say first that I am a big fan of both the leads. Tenant will always be Doctor Who for me after Tom Baker and Watson is fantastic. Only problem? We've seen this backroom politic drama before and almost always done better. Whether it is the deliciously evil House of Cards (UK) or in drama form in the Good Wife n the US, so I really wanted a new spin or feel.Didn't get that. Tenant's motivation are sound, but in no real way would it have happened like this. He either makes a push knowing there will be huge backing or at least have a fail safe. IN this case there were none and he is left to try a back handed way at prominence again through his wife. OK fine. It's well acted, but mostly soulless. The autistic son could have been compelling, but is mostly left for easy emotional pulls later (more on this).There are non-affairs, political maneuvering that is beneath the intelligence of the film, and too literal analogies between their sex life and their current political status. It seems made for those who get their news from The Sun and can't sit through House of Cards.My biggest problem is that even with the plodding through 4 hours they ACTUALLY HAD the right ending!! If only they had stopped it after his autistic son gives him the toy at the diner table. It was a complete illustration of how ambition and lies can destroy your soul and your family. He lost everything for nothing and couldn't see all the good around him until it was too late. I almost felt the show vindicated itself with that ending.....But no. They have to add this strange pc ending where they both are magically in power and she is prime minister and he is on HER cabinet. For shame. The point was not to have her make it to the top and him drag along. It was to show them as both miserable people who have self imposed this upon themselves and we are all worse off for these people in power. What a missed opportunity. Or perhaps England has gotten so nihilistic that it cannot see higher truth anymore?? Ahwell. 5/10

blanche-2 "The Politician's Husband" is a 2013 miniseries out of England, starring David Tennant and Emily Watson.I'm unclear if this is supposed to be a series or just a miniseries - certainly the ending indicated it's a miniseries.Anyway, it's the story of Aiden Hoynes (David Tennant), a senior cabinet minister who shoots himself in the foot politically with a leadership bid, and his friend Bruce Babbish (Ed Stoppard), another higher-up, does not support him.Hoynes' wife, Freya, has always stood in her husband's shadow and concentrated on the family, a severely autistic son and a daughter.When Freya has a chance to become a cabinet minister, Aiden is all for it, believing that at the right opportunity, she can support his immigration bill, a stab in the back to the government.After getting a taste of power, however, Freya goes on television, the perfect opportunity to say she agrees with her husband, and doesn't agree with him.Very good drama about politics behind the scenes, with both Tennant and Watson giving excellent performances. I have to say in most instances, I don't think times have changed that much, and that the miniseries is realistic in that the husband would definitely mind being overshadowed by his wife in the same profession.The rest of it is more the stuff of drama, and I did like it, as Aiden becomes more convinced that his wife has aligned with his now-enemy Bruce both politically and physically. What looked like a strong "fairytale" marriage starts to unravel, with Aiden exhibiting sexual violence toward Freya, and there are accusations of infidelity that hit the press.I found Tennant especially good as the manipulative husband; in a way, it's a stronger part.Highly recommended.

Patricia Owens I had this for two days before sitting down to watch, mainly because of the reviews I had read and the spoilers that turned me off to some aspects of the movie. When will I learn? I bought it because David Tennant is an excellent actor and that is the only way I get to see most of his work here in the states. Aiden Hoynes is a politician to his fingertips, but he is also a husband, one who feels that his wife betrayed him and I think his reactions were realistic. It is strange that a woman wrote this and yet the woman is the character who is lacking. She is simply a female version of her husband, yet she keeps trying to hold him to a standard that she does not cleave to herself. Who is she in love with? After she basically calls off her marriage because her husband brings down his ex-best-friend whom had betrayed him and tried to seduce her I lost all sympathy for her. I think at that point every woman in a good marriage watching the movie knew that she cared more about her career and herself than she did anything else, yes she could have been brought down at the same time but didn't she help to contribute to his fall? I did not like how the movie ended because it left their relationship too ambiguous. Freya also reminded me way too much of Hilary Clinton. On the surface this looks like a ruthless husband trying to hold his wonderful wife back, I think the end supports my viewpoint - it is the story of an ambitious woman who sends her husband out to get shot first and take care of the bad guys leaving her free to enjoy the life insurance - luckily for Aiden she can't get rid of him that easily. I am looking forward to watching it again for the nuances that I always miss when I'm watching to see what happens next.