HBO (Sun., Oct. 4, 8 P.M. ET)
C+
Diane Keaton makes her TV-movie debut in this well-acted election-year yarn. She plays a Caldecott Award-winning children's author who enters into a whirlwind romance with a bachelor Senator (Ed Harris) running for President. Ed Begley Jr., Ben Masters, Robert Harper and Brandon Maggart costar.
The film starts out as a snappy, badinage-rich romantic comedy, very Tracy-Hepburnish. But then, without signaling, the movie takes a wrenching turn, growing increasingly heavy-handed and righteous as Keaton's radical '60s past is exposed. Suddenly the air is thick with diatribes about media overzealousness and the dangers of exposing politicians and their families to too much scrutiny.
The following night, Showtime has a more outrageous political movie, the comedy The Selling of Vince D'Angelo (Oct. 5, 9:30 P.M. ET). Danny De Vito plays the title character, a corrupt New Jersey councilman who sets new standards for sleaze in a relentless run for the U.S. Senate. This black half-hour spoof is totally overdone—not an easy thing to accomplish, given the Orwellian nature of modern campaigning. Grades: Running Mates: B Vince D'Angelo:
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