As The Donald prepares to assume the mantle of Commander-in-chief, you and yours might be primed to celebrate the bold new direction our country is headed in and this historic display of democracy in action, or you might just as likely be desperately looking for something to take your mind off the state of our current reality.
Either way, there’s a movie on this list for you.
When the pomp and circumstance and political glad-handing becomes too much for you on the 20th, turn one on and drop out for a bit. Sanity might be scarce in the days to come, after all. Best keep a little in reserve ‘till we get further down this particular trail and see the lay of the land.
I at first toyed with the idea of making this list about my favorite cinematic presidential portrayals, but found that well-trod ground when a Google search revealed a plethora of such lists.
So, instead I gathered my favorite movies about “the presidency” itself. Also, films that involved the person holding the office in some way crucial to the plot, though the actual POTUS personality might be interchangeable.
In this way, I hope to both celebrate the greatness of democracy (the fact that even Hollywood imagination never conjured up a president like the one we’re about to live through) and simultaneously distract those despairing for the future with a little silver screen diversion (for instance, consider that even a mediocre president like Bill Pullman can become an “Independence Day” hero if the world is about to be destroyed by aliens, right? There’s hope!).
Hail to the chief and pass the popcorn, my fellow Americans.
Whatever happens, it’ll make a great movie someday.
1. “Escape from New York” (1981)
In the then-near future version of 1997 depicted in John Carpenter’s follow up to “The Fog,” Manhattan is a fortified maximum security prison where the worst of America’s criminals are sent and left to run free and terrorize each other at will. You’d think the air over such a lawless wasteland would be a definite no-fly zone, but you’d be wrong. Thus, when Air Force One crashes and the President (a sniveling, groveling perfectly pathetic Donald Pleasence) is stranded inside the walls, it’s not as easy as just sending an ambulance out to pick the guy up. Also, the POTUS is now the favorite new pet of the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes), the big league baddie inside the walls of Manhattan, so that’s not good.
Hence, desperate government officials seek out (like any reasonable person would) former Special Forces solider turned would-be bank robber Snake “I thought you were dead” Plissken (Kurt Russell, of course) to mount a covert one-man rescue operation in return for a pardon and his freedom.
Look for awesome turns by Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef and Ernest Borgnine besides, this one’s guaranteed to cure what ails you.
2. “Man of the Year” (2006)
I always felt this one got a bad rap. It was not well reviewed, did not do well at the box office and, yes, it is kind of silly.
But so was the real election and at least this has Robin Williams in it, right?
The late, great funnyman plays Tom Dobbs, a political comedy talk show host (think a fouler mouthed Jon Stewart, a funnier Bill Maher) who, after making a joke about running for president and receiving an outpouring of support from around the country, actually does it. And, much the disdain of the establishment, starts doing very well.
Though the plot tends to plod a bit (something about rigged voting machines, I don’t really remember…), Williams delivers enough to make it worth a watch just for him. It’s also a film that manages to crack a few jokes that have only become more timely as of late.
Consider, when the circa-2006 Williams’ character says: “Why do we need a Constitutional Amendment with regard to burning the flag? Let’s just make the flag out of asbestos. They talk about the desecration of the American flag and yet, online, you can buy flag underwear. I just saw my grandmother wearing a flag thong and I was like, ‘Granny, I don’t wanna know where Old Glory is!’ If it was really unpatriotic to question one’s government, we’d still be British.”
Food for thought, Donald.
3. “Murder at 1600” (1997)
If someone is murdered at the White House, is it a police matter or the concern of the Secret Service?
I don’t know what the answer really is. And for the sake of this bright bit of cinematic bubblegum, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a fun enough crime drama with a handful of rousing action scenes and a decent leading performance by an in-his-prime Wesley Snipes. Totally worth a watch.
A young female staffer is found murdered in the White House and D.C. homicide detective Regis (Snipes) is assigned to investigate. He quickly finds evidence is being suppressed by the Secret Service. Suspecting a cover-up (duh), he convinces Secret Service Agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane) to assist in uncovering the truth.
The film features Dennis Miller as Snipe’s wise-cracking partner, Alan Alda as a shady national security adviser and Ronny Cox as the President, who is conveniently distracted with preventing an impending international crisis during the investigation, one which the murder threatens to worsen.
Could the murder and the possible political debacle possibly be connected?
4. “In the Line of Fire” (1993)
Another one about the Secret Service, but more flattering.
Clint “Make my day” Eastwood stars as an over-the-hill agent haunted by memories of the JFK assassination (he was there, didn’t move fast enough, blah blah blah) who is forced to reconcile his past failure and get down to business when the current President becomes the target of an obsessive would-be assassin (John Malkovich, whose icy, sociopathic baddie is easily the best part of this movie).
It seems the aspiring killer is really, really determined to murder the president. But why? Therein lies the most chilling aspect of the whole story. There is no reason. Like any true psycho, Malkovich’s character is all the more threatening because he’s not part of some grand Machiavellian conspiracy.
“To punctuate the dreariness,” is the motive he gives Eastwood, who he forms a kind of antagonistic camaraderie with through a series of cryptic phone calls. He’s delighted to find the agent assigned to find and stop him was present at the JFK killing, thus adding a deeper layer of emotional import to his actions and further entrenching his own place in history.
I really enjoy this movie and though much of it is heavily dated looking now, the story holds up. Check it out.
5. “My Fellow Americans” (1996)
Sometimes referred to as “Grumpy Old Presidents” as it was meant to reunite Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, health problems kept the later from getting involved and he was replaced with James Garner who, along with Lemmon, play two former Presidents who find themselves the target of a conspiracy perpetrated by the current President (the villainous Dan Aykroyd).
The two past Presidents, from radically different ends of the political spectrum, of course, set out to find the evidence that will clear their names and along the way meet a homeless couple, thwart kidnapers in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant and accidentally march in a gay pride parade.
The film also features a cast of supporters no less diverse than: John “the father from ‘Home Alone’” Heard, Lauren “needs no introduction” Bacall, Bradley “Always a bad guy?” Whitford, and Wilford “I have diabetes” Brimley.
BONUS FEATURE:
If you have the time, check these two out. They didn’t make the official list due to each having at least one major difference from the others I chose. One is about an actual president, for instance, and the other is not actually about the presidency at all. But, given the rancid political climate of 2016, I thought it a fun alternative and very, very applicable.
1. Oliver Stone’s “W.” (2008) stars Josh Brolin as the good old boy POTUS. This one features a favorite movie moment of mine. When asked by one reporter, “Mr. President, what place do you think you will have in history?” Brolin’s Bush responds with a big toothy grin and says, “History? In history we’ll all be dead!”
Think about it. Truer words were never spoken.
2. “The Campaign” (2012) stars Will Farrell as a party animal George W. Bush-esque incumbent congressman embroiled in personal scandal who suddenly faces a challenge from a naive newcomer (Zach Galifianakis), a man so obnoxiously bland and wholesome that he makes Shari Lewis look like Kat Von D.
The furry newbie is funded by two unscrupulous billionaire lobbyist siblings (The Motch brothers. Got that everyone? Motch. Definitely NOT Koch, OK?) hoping to use the witless newbie as a pawn, and he quickly finds himself neck-deep in swampy political waters and forced to rely on his scurrilous opponent to get out with his morals (sort of) intact.
