After the 1992 campaign columnist, Joe Klein, writing under the pseudonym "Anonymous," turned his observations and research into a novel by changing the characters' names and transforming some of the incidents. Given the subsequent scandals, especially the current ones, the movie borders on being almost frighteningly relevant.

Starting with close-ups of Clinton -- oops, I did it already -- I mean Southern governor Jack Stanton shaking hands, we learn the subtle meanings of his various handshakes. (And, if the explanations are correct, then when the real life Clinton shook my hand during the campaign, I got a grade C handshake that meant nothing.)

As Governor Stanton, a beefed up John Travolta gives a creepily accurate portrayal. When he feels people's pains on the campaign trail, he usually spins some story from his childhood that the crowd can identify with. That the stories contain at best only a grain of truth doesn't lessen his belief in them or their effect on the citizens listening. He's one of them, and they like him.

From the beginning we learn that Jack likes all of his constituents, especially the pretty, young females. And his aides happily look the other way when he beds one early on in the picture.

As his wife, Susan, Emma Thompson gives an equally superlative performance. The Stantons' apparently dysfunctional marriage is actually highly functional since both share a single-minded desire to get to the top. If that means Susan has to yell, curse like a sailor and throw things at Jack in front of the help, well, so be it. Jack, for his part, never seems to mind. It's the price he's used to paying for a life of licentiousness. "The only shot we have here is to be perfect," Susan lectures him when he is late as usual. The irony is that they have no hope of attaining perfection, but they are both such superlative political operatives that neither needs it.

Amidst all the hullabaloo of the campaign are quieter moments of delicate power. In the George Stephanopoulos part, Adrian Lester plays Henry Burton, the son of a famous civil rights leader, who wants to change the world. He sees Jack as his ticket to where real power lies, but he's worried that he's selling his soul when he's asked to join the Stanton entourage as a key aide. At one point the sleaze overwhelms Henry, and he's forced to stop the car so he can throw up.

When Henry goes to set up his first campaign headquarters, the clueless crowd just stares at him when he asks if anyone has any skills. Finally, one guy breaks the silence to allow as how he speaks Hebrew.

In easily the best performance in the picture, SLING BLADE's Billy Bob Thornton plays the role of firebrand, redneck Richard Jemmons, modeled after James Carville. Billy Bob manages to make the frequently obnoxious Carville into a likable, albeit outrageous, political operative par excellence. Richard, like his boss, does have his foibles, seen, for example, when he exposes himself to fellow campaign worker, Jennifer Rogers, played by Stacy Edwards from IN THE COMPANY OF MEN. One hopes members of the Academy will remember Billy Bob's performance when it comes time next year to vote for supporting actors.

The picture is so funny at times that you may have trouble controlling yourself, Jack and Richard's "mamathon" being one of the rib-ticklingest. Susan explains that when a couple of southern boys get together and start swapping stories about their mamas, they may go on forever. And in another scene, in which a cocky son of one of Jack's opponents apologizes to Susan with a "Hope you don't mind if we talk business?" she cattily assures him it's okay to discuss politics with her husband in front of her. "How else can I learn?" replies the ultra-savvy woman with beautifully fake naivete.

Nichols has a gift for staging physical comedy. When Jack loses his temper, he throws the cell phone out the window. This causes Jack and Susan to go searching through the bushes when they realize they need it after all. Almost like sparring boxers, Nichols and May seem to try to outdo each other in their collaboration. May, for example, comes up with a wonderfully complicated conundrum for Richard. He introduces a folksy tale about defecating in the woods while wild bears attack that has everyone around the table interpreting his metaphors differently. Almost all of Richard's hilarious lines in the movie are unprintable although one particular astute one isn't. "That's what these guys do," he says of the transient loyalty of politicians like his boss. "They love you and then stop lovin' you."

In another wonderful piece of work, Kathy Bates is a tough lesbian named Libby Holden, who puts out scandals in general and bimbo eruptions in particular. "From now on you can call me the 'Dust Buster,'" Libby explains her role. "I'm stronger than dirt."

Larry Hagman, as Gov. Fred Picker, one of Jack's opponents, gives the best performance of his career. If you've ever had doubts about the depth of his acting abilities, wait until his last scene, which is stunning.

"I'm going to tell you something really outrageous," Jack tells a group of blue-collar workers. "I'm going to tell you the truth." In a career in which his veracity always remains subservient to winning, this could indeed be considered outrageous.

Since the movie is just a time slice from a long campaign, choosing how to end it is tricky. The choice they made involves setting before the Stantons a moral test that serves as kind of a metaphor for the Stantons' political careers. Like the ending of the TITANIC, the outcome of their moral test is never really in question.

PRIMARY COLORS runs 2:20 but feels much shorter. It is rated R for profanity and sexual references and would be fine for teenagers.