Take an up-close look at a prominent Weiner

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      A documentary by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg. Rated PG

      “I thought the point of fly-on-the-wall filmmaking is that the fly isn’t supposed to be heard or seen.” So says Anthony Weiner, failed politician and sex-scandal avatar, to documentary codirector Josh Kriegman, during one of their many car rides together. Directing partner Elyse Steinberg is neither seen nor heard, but Kriegman eventually asks why Weiner agreed to have flies on his wall in the first place. His answer doesn’t satisfy, but the movie does.

      This territory might look parochial to an international audience, but Weiner (winner of the top doc award at this year’s Sundance) is a tragicomic entertainment illuminating a number of current trends. A disciple of New York kingmaker Chuck Schumer, the feisty Brooklynite took over that leading Democrat’s congressional seat when the latter ascended to the Senate. After establishing himself as a Jewish Jimmy Stewart, railing against special interests on the House floor, Weiner was forced to resign in 2011, after it was revealed—was it ever hidden?—that he was sexting strangers and tweeting pictures of, um, his private-members’ bills. He used the nom de text Carlos Danger.

      Overnight, his national profile went from rad to bad, and it probably never helped that he pronounces his name “whiner”. The skinny dude also looks and sounds like a less successful cousin of Jon Stewart, who himself shows up once the scandal hits TV Land. But that’s only the beginning of the tale. At the behest of beautifully poised wife Huma Abedin, who just happens to be Hillary Clinton’s closest confidante, Weiner attempted to rebuild his rep by running for mayor of NYC in 2013. And then things got really weird.

      Born in Michigan to Saudi parents, Abedin remains an enigmatic presence, increasingly distant from her husband and even their toddler son when cameras are rolling. By the end, you’re as baffled by her reluctance to leave as by his insistence on staying. Some might say the man just wanted to be seen.

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