Four years earlier, Johnson was the Senate Majority Leader, bullying senators into supporting legislation. During one such meeting, Johnson asks fellow Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough why he has not endorsed him for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1960 election, although he has yet to announce. Yarborough instead plans to support Kennedy, who has been running a public campaign on television and through a series of popular primaries. At the Johnson Ranch in Texas, Robert F. Kennedy asks Johnson directly whether he plans to seek the presidency, and Johnson assures him that he doesn't. Sometime later, "Johnson for President" signs start to appear even though he continues to deny publicly that he plans to run, while Kennedy continues to amass support in the primaries. Johnson's advisors suggest he announce publicly to take some of the publicity away from Kennedy, but he instead plans to make his case at the convention. Privately, Johnson admits that he is also afraid that he can't compete with Kennedy, whose good looks and instant charm have made him loved by the public; a love Johnson himself is scared to find out they would not feel for him. At the convention, as he is whipping votes, Johnson is confronted on his broken promise by Bobby Kennedy, who gets his revenge by correctly analyzing that the tide has turned in their favour. Kennedy wins the nomination on the first ballot.
However, without consulting his brother or advisors like Kenneth O'Donnell, Kennedy asks Johnson to be his running mate. In private, Kennedy says that he can remove Johnson from Congress and make him work for him rather than against him. Johnson himself hopes to turn the vice presidency into a more powerful position. Kennedy and Johnson successfully defeat Richard Nixon and Henry Lodge Jr. in the 1960 election by one of the narrowest margins in history. In his early days as vice president, Johnson tries to increase his power by requesting that all government agencies "cooperate fully with the vice president in the carrying out of these assignments". The president's advisors, contemptuous of Johnson and lined up behind Bobby Kennedy (now the administration's Attorney General), try to block his influence, but Kennedy himself is wary not to antagonize his vice president, appointing O'Donnell to liaise with him on all issues. He appoints him to run his new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a part of his program to address civil rights legislation. The first meeting of the commission goes badly as the Cabinet secretaries meant to compose it send aides instead. Aware of his precarious situation, Johnson tells his advisors he will push for compromise on civil rights, knowing that the Southern Democrats, led by his friend and mentor Senator Richard Russell, will oppose any move made by the Kennedys. Although Johnson claims a small victory when he convinces Russell to support equal opportunities in employment in exchange for a manufacturing deal in his native Georgia, neither faction can see eye-to-eye as Russell refuses to consider any other compromises on civil rights, and Kennedy backs Bobby's suggestion that they should go "through him" instead. Following this decision, Johnson is further sidelined and his lack of influence is shown when he attempts to convince Kennedy to appoint his friend Sarah T. Hughes as a federal judge, a recommendation they barely acknowledge. He eventually deduces that Bobby is trying to make him powerless and irrelevant so that he will not be able to contest Bobby's own ambitions to run for the White House in 1968.
Back in Dallas, Johnson hears a shot as they are driven through the streets in their motorcade. The Secret Service get him to safety in a nearby hospital where they tell him that Kennedy has been shot. Kennedy is soon declared dead and Johnson is thrust into the presidency. Although the Secret Service wishes to return Johnson to the White House immediately, he refuses to leave Dallas without Jackie Kennedy, who refuses to leave her husband. To inquire about the legalities of succession, Johnson calls Bobby Kennedy who reluctantly tells him that he can take the oath of office whenever he wants. Against Bobby's wish, Johnson takes the oath aboard Air Force One, with Jackie at his side and Sarah Hughes, the very judge he had once tried to recommend, swearing him in as president. As he returns to Washington, everyone around him reacts uncertainly, unsure what kind of a president he aims to be. His ascension however delights Russell and his southern Democratic block due to his own southern roots and their belief that he will end the push for civil rights legislation. Johnson asks Kennedy's former advisors to remain, while also giving them the choice to leave if they don't feel like serving him. Debate ensues between them as they are unsure whether they should remain with Johnson, or throw their support behind Bobby as Kennedy's heir. Johnson admits his own doubts to his wife, and that he would have rather lost the presidency on his own merits rather than inherit it in such circumstances.
Johnson eventually decides that the best way to heal the nation and to ensure his presidency works is to present himself firmly not just as Kennedy's successor but also as his heir. Although aware that Russell will block his efforts, he rejects his previous strategy of compromise and, when asked whether he supports civil rights himself, he recounts a story about how challenging it was for his cook to cross the south from his home in Washington to his ranch as an African American woman. Johnson asks Kennedy speechwriter Ted Sorensen to write a speech he intends to deliver to a joint session of Congress, while he begins whipping votes for the civil rights bill. The speech was meant to serve as a eulogy for Kennedy and an inaugural address for Johnson himself. Eventually, LBJ delivers his 'Let Us Continue' speech to Congress, to rousing applause from both chambers, a visibly-emotional Senator Yarborough, a displeased but respectful Russell, and a very reluctant Bobby Kennedy, who must surrender the mantle of his brother's legacy to his rival.
A closing text recounts that on July 2, 1964, Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, fulfilling Kennedy's dream. On November 3 of the same year, he defeated Senator Barry Goldwater in the presidential election, winning 44 states and taking 61.1% of the popular vote, the largest margin of victory since 1820. Over his next term, Johnson pushed through the Great Society legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and establishing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start. However, his escalation of the Vietnam War led to rising American deaths and intensifying anti-war protests, causing his popularity to plummet by 1968, and causing challenges from within his own party, including from Bobby Kennedy. On March 31, 1968, Johnson declares that he will not seek another presidential term, becoming the last sitting president to forgo re-election until Joe Bidendid so on July 21, 2024.
(L–R) Mark Updegrove (LBJ Library Director), Woody Harrelson, Rob Reiner and Joey Hartstone participate in a discussion following a screening of LBJ at the LBJ Presidential Library
The script for LBJ, a political-historical drama written by Joey Hartstone, was one of the winners of the 2014 Black List of unproduced screenplays.[16] On June 16, 2015, Woody Harrelson signed on to play the lead role of 36th PresidentLyndon B. Johnson, while Rob Reiner signed to direct the film.[5] The film was produced by Acacia Entertainment, Savvy Media Holdings, Castle Rock Entertainment, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and financed by Acacia and Savvy Media.[5] Producers on the film are Matthew George, Reiner, Liz Glotzer, Tim White and Trevor White.[5]
LBJ debuted to $1.1 million at 659 theaters, finishing 14th at the box office.[24]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56%, based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "LBJ loses sight of its complicated subject, ignoring the more intriguing aspects of his personality and career in favor of a frustratingly ordinary biopic treatment."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score 54 out of 100, based 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a C, and said "Harrelson, who has a gift for squeezing charm out of even his most monstrous characters, leans hard into the contradictory notion that Johnson is a power-hungry humanist. The result is a performance that is both wildly ridiculous and appreciably grounded ... Harrelson’s turn seizes on his unique charisma in order to disentangle LBJ from the policies that have defined his legacy."[27]
TVOvermind critic Nat Berman gave the film a positive review, and praised Reiner's cast selection.[28]
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