Bill Goodykoontz

USA TODAY NETWORK

Critic's rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

“I did the things.”

Not that there was any question. But yes, Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman, once a rising star in the Democratic party and, for a brief shining moment about to be one again, does admit to tweeting inappropriate photos of himself from his personal account — particular parts of himself — in “Weiner,” a gripping documentary directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg.

We knew this. Weiner had admitted it before, in perhaps less straightforward fashion. But there is something fascinating about the intimacy of the camera here that is magnetic.

And harrowing. And frustrating. And maddening. And a little sad.

Steinberg and Kriegman, a former aide to Weiner, have incredible access to Weiner, even as his life implodes around him in a disaster (again) of his own making. Almost nothing is off-limits to the filmmakers, including the Weiner home, in which Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides, raise their son.

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Why? At one point Kriegman asks Weiner that question: Why are you letting me film this? Weiner looks at him, seemingly caught off guard for a second, then shrugs his eyebrows and goes back to what he was doing. At various times during the film people refer to Weiner as a narcissist, and not just because of the tweets. As we see him rehearsing a speech, or trying to convince his wife to come to the polling place with him, or any number of other things most people, much less politicians, would keep behind the curtain, we realize: If it’s not on camera for this guy, if other people can’t see him, it doesn’t exist.

That wasn’t always a detriment.

We see footage from Weiner on the floor of Congress, excoriating Republicans. He’s got guts, people say. He’s what the Democratic party needs.

Then the tweets, the denials, the lies, the apologies, finally the resignation (with the New York Post, bless it, chronicling the misadventure with lacerating off-color headlines). Huma — she’s known up and down D.C. only by her first name, we’re told — must have breathed a sigh of relief, with a Clinton run for president all but certain.

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But in 2013 Weiner decided to run for mayor of New York City. This is where Kriegman and Steinberg come in. The idea was to capture the kind of comeback story audiences love, and for a time it looked as if that might be what they would get. Weiner weathers some tough shots — Donald Trump says, “We don’t want perverts elected in New York City! No perverts!” — and he and fellow candidate Bill de Blasio almost come to blows after a debate. But, miracle of miracles, Weiner finds himself atop the polls, the comeback narrative thoroughly in place. What could possibly go wrong?

Guess. Another round of even more-explicit tweets finds its way into the media, and Weiner (and the film) never quite work out a satisfactory timeline for when he posted them. (Worse still: He used the fake name “Carlos Danger.” Seriously.) The media goes insane. Howard Stern goads Sydney Leathers, Weiner’s most-explicit virtual correspondent, into hounding Weiner on the night of the primary (a D-Day-like operation is orchestrated to keep him away from her).

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Weiner is a guest on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show, and the host asks him bluntly: What is wrong with you? It turns into a ridiculous back-and-forth shouting match, and it’s not long before O'Donnell sounds just as stupid as Weiner. But it’s a battle Weiner thinks he won, so much so that he replays it on his computer later while Huma watches — until she can’t anymore, and leaves the room. It’s a disaster. At least, maybe Weiner figures, the camera is still on him.

“Weiner” is at times painful to watch, and not just for the reasons you’d think. Weiner comes off as an incredibly talented politician who behaves like an undisciplined idiot, hardly the first, certainly not the last. Huma is the only truly sympathetic figure in the film.

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But Weiner is not alone among goats. The media is just as absurd. Does anyone have any on-topic questions, he asks at a housing project. Crickets. A reporter raises his hand. Will you take off-topic questions? Sure, Weiner says, and the wolves are upon him, while we cheer them on.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: twitter.com/goodyk.

Weiner (2016) | Phoenix Arizona Movie Theater Showtimes Reviews

'Weiner,' 4.5 stars

Directors: Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg.

Cast: Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Sydney Leathers.

Rating: R for language and some sexual material.

Note: At Harkins Shea 14.

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

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