Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank

I had heard this was a great biopic, but happened to stumble on it by accident while I was channel-surfing one night. I couldn't turn it off. Very funny and informative. Highly recommended. A brilliant man and a great debater with quick-acerbic wit, Barney Frank was always the smartest and (most times also the most controversial) person in the room. Of course, no matter who we are, if we remain long enough in a career we are bound to make some decisions that have negative consequences. As the film points out, Barney Frank by his own admission made a few, but in this candid documentary we see that his contributions and political achievements far outweigh those missteps and Frank's legacy would be the envy of most life-long politicians. Our nation has become so divided in the last decade that the ability to gauge a biographical piece objectively has become almost non-existent. Unfortunately I'm guessing a majority of people will probably view this film after he's gone-- maybe as a historical happy/sad tribute to a consummate politician who fought hard, fast and unabashedly for every single thing he believed in. I give it eight stars out of ten and honestly believe this man's story will inspire and embolden many different lives and peoples-- whether it's the kid you see who comes home crying after a crappy day of getting bullied at school -- or a simple, hard-working adult who's hoping to find that tricky path to success,recognition and self-esteem without compromising his or her principles.

Barney Frank is an interesting person to do a film about. He was voted the most brilliant member of Congress by his peers and many would also have considered him one of the most cantankerous. This film captures all the sides of Barney and showcases his rapier wit and sense of humor which made him so well liked and sometimes feared.

It is the story of a man who hid his homosexuality so that he could participate in public life to do good for people. He grew up in the 50s a very different time in the United States for gay people. He spent many years fearing that his being gay would end his career and living only one side of his life - the political side- giving up the personal. But even before he finally came out he fought for the rights of the LGBT community and is a hero to so many who understand without Barney Frank the LGBT community wouldn't be where we are today.

It is the story of a successful politician who eventually succeeds in finding love and feeling complete as a human being. Above all Barney Frank comes off as very human. His husband Jim says in the film that he fell in love with Barney despite the public persona and laughs that he ended up in the Capitol Hill wives club.

I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to understand Washington, DC a little better and to see that there was a time before 1990 that the Congress actually did work.