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'Weiner': Engrossing documentary details demise of self-destructive politician's career

Why would I want to watch a documentary about Anthony Weiner? There has been so much coverage of the disgraced former U.S. congressman that spending an additional 96 minutes with him seems superfluous, if not distasteful.

Man on the run: Anthony Weiner, a disgraced former U.S. congressman in a comeback race for mayor of New York City, in "Weiner."
Man on the run: Anthony Weiner, a disgraced former U.S. congressman in a comeback race for mayor of New York City, in "Weiner."Read moreIFC Films

Why would I want to watch a documentary about Anthony Weiner?

There has been so much coverage of the disgraced former U.S. congressman that spending an additional 96 minutes with him seems superfluous, if not distasteful.

It's not a question that Weiner co-directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg address directly - there's no analysis here of the insatiable American appetite for our politicians' indiscretions - but their behind-the-scenes footage of Weiner's political collapse is fascinating anyway.

The film distances itself early on from tabloid sensationalism with a 10-minute opening segment that looks at Weiner's impressive record as a politician.

A rising star in the Democratic Party during his seven terms in the House, he argued passionately for reducing the economic gap between rich and poor. Then, in 2011, he resigned his congressional seat after becoming embroiled in a sexting imbroglio.

The film picks up the story two years after Weiner has left Washington. Eager to rehabilitate his image, he enters the mayoral race in his native New York City.

In a move that will backfire, he also grants unprecedented access to Kriegman and Steinberg to film his every move, both on the campaign trail and at home with his wife, noted Hillary Clinton adviser Huma Abedin, and their toddler son.

Then, of course, Weiner - who had assured the public that he was a changed man - self-destructs again a few weeks before the Democratic mayoral primary with another sexting fiasco.

Weiner is a portrait of a man who seems to delight in his own misfortune. He is too nonchalant when the second scandal hits and even seems to derive some perverse joy from it.

While the documentary is not essential viewing, you're likely to be drawn in if you do decide to watch it, finding yourself engrossed, repulsed, and perplexed in equal measure.

tirdad@phillynews.com
215-854-2736

MOVIE REVIEW

Weiner

2 1/2 (Out of four stars)

Directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg. Distributed by Sundance Selects.

Parent's guide: R (profanity, sexuality).

Playing at: Ritz Five.