'White House Plumbers' review: Spotlighting Watergate's oddball operatives Los Angeles Times

Table Of Content

• On the ways Watergate speaks to today's political moment
• Cast & Crew
• Birkin bag thieves prowl L.A.’s rich neighborhoods, fueling a bizarre black market
• Grant Gustin, ‘The Flash’ cast mark superhero’s disappearance day, as teased in show’s pilot
• Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:
• Storyline

They both loved Nixon and hated John Kennedy and the counterculture, which they saw as a threat to patriotism and the American way of life. Dismissed by the White House press secretary as a “third-rate burglary,” the break-in set off a chain of events that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in August 1974. Ever since, the “gate” suffix has been shorthand for scandal, and Watergate has provided fodder for movies, books, podcasts, commentaries and television. Harrelson has even more screen time than Hunt, with the show trying to understand how misguided Hunt was.

On the ways Watergate speaks to today's political moment

But it’s more of a journalism thriller than a study of political scandal. Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” dips into Watergate, but within the larger context of the president operating behind the scenes. But there’s always another angle, and HBO’s five-part limited series “White House Plumbers” found a juicy one. Created by the team behind “Veep,” this is the Watergate of E.

Cast & Crew

However, it’s all about Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. Harrelson is the former CIA agent Hunt, who was “un-hireable when the agency dumped you”. He begins the series in a depressed state, reduced to churning out soul-sapping copy for a public-relations firm, and is someone who has strong opinions that he expresses with gusto. He rants about how Time magazine is “propaganda”, while his family falls apart around him. Lena Headey is his wife, Dorothy, an active CIA asset, who asks him to “try not to be such an asshole” while pleading with him to take some responsibility for his chaotic children. As Liddy, Theroux wears a grand moustache and kipper tie, or they wear him.

Birkin bag thieves prowl L.A.’s rich neighborhoods, fueling a bizarre black market

He is a violent geyser ready to blow at any moment. He takes his job very seriously indeed and his favourite LP is a collection of Hitler speeches, which he likes to play at dinner parties, as his terrifyingly obedient children watch on. Still, there was no shortage of study material. As Huyck says, “All the President’s Men” is “the ne plus ultra” of Watergate entertainment.

Grant Gustin, ‘The Flash’ cast mark superhero’s disappearance day, as teased in show’s pilot

Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they we... Read allA five-part series that tells the true story of how Nixon's own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect.A five-part series that tells the true story of how Nixon's own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect. With each episode directed by David Mandel (also a “Veep” alum, along with Gregory and Huyck), "White House Plumbers" initially gets considerable momentum from the weirdness of its two lead performances. Justin Theroux is about as pompous as he can be with the tar-black, openly fake-looking mustache of Liddy, paired neatly with the agent’s troubling love of Hitler’s speeches, guns, and propensity to keep his hand over a flame as a gesture of his trustworthiness.

Is White House Plumbers based on a true story? - Radio Times

Is White House Plumbers based on a true story?.

Posted: Tue, 23 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

When he talks about his childhood, he depicts himself as this sort of scrawny Irish guy from Hoboken, a kid who got bullied a lot. And he would do these insane things to get over his fears. So he trapped a rat, killed it and then ate it. So he would strap himself to a tree during a thunder and lightning storm. And I had sympathy for him as this bullied kid.

What are common plumbing services?

Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), the real-life blinkered zealots who, er, masterminded the break-in and took the brunt of the fall when everything went south. It’s a combination buddy comedy/buddy tragedy about a pair of true believers who keep charging ahead through blind loyalty and a desperate need to grind axes, even as the walls close in. We’ve seen the Watergate story through the eyes of the reporters who broke it (1976’s “All the President’s Men”). We’ve seen it through the eyes of White House counsel John Dean (the 1979 miniseries “Blind Ambition”). We’ve even seen it through the eyes of two teenage girls (the underappreciated 1999 comedy “Dick”).

Where to Watch

They leave incriminating films in cameras. They have the wrong tools (“the right tools are in Miami”). The bugs they leave behind turn out to be inoperable.

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands. Stream all of HBO, plus hit series, movies, reality, and more. Hunt, Liddy, and the Cubans break into the DNC offices at the Watergate. Gordon Liddy are tasked with investigating the Pentagon Papers leak, gathering a team of Cubans -- all Bay of Pigs veterans -- to infiltrate whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Watergate masterminds and President Richard Nixon's political operatives E.

Like some people who get bullied, they look for sources of strength in odd places. In 1972, they attempted to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate. They were caught, and the scandal ultimately led to Nixon's resignation two years later, after his administration repeatedly tried to cover up their involvement. "I certainly never thought of it as a comedy because to me, it's such a horrific period in American history," director David Mandel told NPR's Leila Fadel. "I keep calling it a tragedy that makes you laugh." And there are elements, of course, that speak to our present condition.

Where is this procedural process that's going to happen? Plumbers charge $45 to $150 per hour, with the average job costing $125 to $450 total. Many plumbing companies have a minimum service fee of $50 to $200. Emergency plumbing contractors charge double or triple time on weekends, after hours, and holidays, or $125 to $170 per hour. Even in an era of Oscar winners commandeering the small screen, the cast is impressive. There are frequent moments of “Ah, it’s them”, as the stars keep on coming.

The dialogue is rich throughout White House Plumbers, and so are the performances and characters. Harrelson is wonderful — exploding like Ralph Kramden one minute, simmering like Macbeth the next — and the supporting cast is a very deep bench, serving up unexpected treasures every episode. There's Kathleen Turner as lobbyist Dita Beard! And Lena Headey from Game of Thrones as Hunt's wife, Dorothy! And Gary Cole as FBI executive Mark Felt – who, though he's not identified as such here, in real life was the infamous Deep Throat of All the President's Men. It opens with the second of four Watergate break-in attempts, and the emphasis is on how terrible these “plumbers” – so-called because they are brought together to “fix the leaks” coming out of the White House – actually are.