“The Contender” (2000)
Laine Hanson is about to become Vice President, but the headhunters are out in full force. It’s knives out for any female candidate, argues writer-director Rod Lurie, who then sets up a Chinese finger trap of a plot device, revealing Hanson’s possible participation in a collegiate orgy that sends the media into a tizzy. Through it all, Joan Allen’s Hanson perseveres, refusing to kowtow to her tormentors, which include an appropriately slimy congressman played by Gary Oldman, and pursues the office despite facing opposition from one side, and Puritanical unease from the other. “The Contender” has a talented cast (Jeff Bridges is a delight as a carefree Commander In Chief), but a film that tackles material this loaded shouldn’t cower in its final act to naked principle over truth, obscuring the issue with a last minute reveal that sours the entire film and degrades the experience to one fascinated by politics, but utterly oblivious to sexual matters. When it comes time to make a statement, the most forceful stand this meek film takes is Sam Elliot memorably growling, “The one thing the American people won’t stand… is a Vice President with a mouthful of COCK.” [C]
“Dave” (1993)
As a now-charmingly naïve take on politics, Ivan Reitman‘s “Dave” is both watchable and utterly, hopelessly dumb. Kevin Kline stars as the hardline conservative President Bill Mitchell, who lapses into a coma only to be replaced by lookalike insurance agent Dave Kovic. To swallow “Dave,” you have to accept that this was the Clinton Era, where our Commander In Chief had serious Dude Appeal, a status that obscured the politics at play. As such, Kovic is much looser, funnier and, surprise, quite liberal, eschewing his predecessor’s stance and proving to be more pro-union and anti-big business. The Capra-fueled optimism mostly has its heart in the right place, and Kline is charming in a dual role, but the film laughably turns the job of President into an opportunity to showcase late-night policy sessions, with Charles Grodin acting as the entire cabinet, and moments where Kovic slashes massive public relations budgets with a smile and a wink. Its glib, what-if politics, cement the Gary Ross-penned script as from another era, or more accurately, highly outdated. [C+]
“The Distinguished Gentleman” (1992)
Oh, Eddie Murphy of the 80s and 90s. We miss you. While “The Distinguished Gentleman” isn’t a great film by any stretch, it is a great example of the energy and creativity that Murphy once had. Not only does he give a terrific comedic performance, but Murphy actually flexes some decent dramatic chops that are rarely seen from him. The film focuses on a Florida con man, Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Murphy), who uses the death of an incumbent candidate with a similar name to snag a seat in Congress. (The way in which he pulls it off and the depiction of voting trends is actually quite brilliant.) Why would he want to be a Congressman? Like one of his crew says: “That’s where the money is.” He and his band of criminals descend on Washington and quickly realize that they are way out of their league when it comes to pulling cons. Johnson gets swept up in the action, led by Dick Dodge (Lane Smith), until he realizes that, wait, he has a conscience after all. It’s when he tries to do the right thing and protect his citizens that he sees how absurd the political process actually is. As a loose re-telling of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the movie doesn’t exactly compare, full of flaws as it is. But it does manage to at least marginally represent the shady dealings that certainly take place in Washington and, if nothing else, it’s really damn funny. [B-]
“Election” (1999)
1999 was an amazing year for film, one of the reasons being films like “Election” that seemingly came out of nowhere and lodged in the public consciousness. This darkly comic film from Alexander Payne tells the allegorical story of a simple high school election for senior class president. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is that obnoxious over-achiever that we all knew in high school: she’s involved in way too many clubs and activities, she has perfect grades and organizes an insanely intense campaign even though she’s running unopposed. It’s this last part that really irks one of her teachers, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), which leads him to encourage (read: force) naïve and brainless jock Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) into running against Tracy. Payne’s film is clearly a microcosm of bigger political campaigns and how the candidates are rarely the ones pulling the strings, and like his previous film “Citizen Ruth,” “Election” kept the audience a little off-balance and wondering “Should I be laughing at this?” The answer is yes. The film is almost perfect in every way. The performances, especially Broderick and Witherspoon, are dead-on and the screenplay, based on the novel by Tom Perrotta (“Little Children”), is filled with brilliant dialogue and an overabundance of voiceovers from each of the main characters, which reflects the crowded field of candidates and lack of certainty regarding which character we should be rooting for. Required viewing for any true film buff, “Election” is that rare creation that will, without a doubt, stand the test of time. [A]
“Gabriel Over The White House” (1933)
A corrupt president gets into a car accident, believes he’s been visited by the Angel Gabriel, and becomes a totalitarian dictator who’s able to arrest and execute people at will. He’s the bad guy, right? Some villainous type eventually taken down by the hero? Not in Gregory La Cava’s “Gabriel Over The White House,” one of the most out-there political films ever made, a one-of-a-kind advocation of benevolent fascism that would give the Tea Party a collective heart attack if made today. Backed by William Randolph Hearst, and timed to the election of, and approved by, Franklin Roosevelt, it stars Walter Huston (father of John, grandfather of Danny and Angelica) as President Judd Hammond, a corrupt president who sees the light, gets rid of most of his cabinet, dissolves Congress when they impeach him and goes about tackling the depression, nationalizing the alcohol trade and executing the gangsters that have become the scourge of the country. Finally, he uses a new secret weapon to blackmail the world into peace, and is eventually acclaimed as a hero. It’s an unashamed piece of liberal propaganda, but a disturbing one; the imagery, particularly that of Hammond’s secret police, borders on fascist (bear in mind, this is the same year that Hitler came to power). It’s like a reactionary, militant version of “The West Wing,” but really it’s just an interesting time capsule/bonkers curio, led by a very strong performance from Huston (only a few years after taking the title role of another president, in D.W. Griffith’s “Abraham Lincoln.”). [C]