Box Office
Flop · 0.1xBudget$25M
Worldwide Gross$3.3M
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The Front Runner
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The Front Runner
movie·R·Nov 21, 2018·
Box OfficeFlop · 0.1x
$25M
Budget
$3.3M
Gross
Shop
Shop this title
The Front Runner
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab
Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.
The Front Runner
movie
R
November 21, 2018
Wokeometer Rating
2Based
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
The Front Runner sticks strictly to the 1987-88 Gary Hart scandal with no modern ideological overlays or casting changes. Its low 2/10 woke score makes it safe, neutral entertainment centered on story and media ethics.
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Detailed Analysis
The Front Runner stands as a restrained 2018 historical drama that faithfully recreates the 1987-88 Gary Hart presidential campaign scandal without injecting contemporary ideological overlays.
Centered on the media-driven exposure of Hart's alleged affair with Donna Rice, the story examines the tension between personal privacy and public accountability through characters including Hart portrayed by Hugh Jackman, his wife Lee played by Vera Farmiga, campaign manager Bill Dixon enacted by J.K. Simmons, and various journalists. Its core themes revolve around media ethics and the rise of tabloid politics in the late 1980s, drawing directly from historical events with no alterations to source material for diversity purposes and casting that aligns precisely with the real individuals and era, free of any race or gender swaps.
Key Factors
- Historical fidelity to 1980s events with no source-material alterations for diversity
- Casting matches real figures and era (e.g., Jackman as Hart, Farmiga as Lee Hart) with no race/gender swaps or forced representation
- Minor modern sensitivity in one subplot's portrayal of Donna Rice as an intelligent woman impacted by media, but incidental and not narrative-driving
Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.
Detailed BreakdownPro
Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism
See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.
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Is The Front Runner Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on The Front Runner and scored it 2/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of woke content is in The Front Runner?
Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into The Front Runner's overall score.
Is The Front Runner family-friendly?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). The Front Runner is rated R. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.
How does Wokeometer score movies?
We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →
