The American President (1995)

The American President (1995)

starring Michael Douglas, Anette Benning

written by Aaron Sorkin

directed by Rob Reiner

President of the United States, widower, and single father Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is in the midst of his third year in office when he asks lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Benning) to be his date for a state dinner at the White House. She accepts his offer and before long they are working the same end of a battle to get the votes to pass a piece of legislation through Congress and dating. One of the President's political rivals uses Andy and Sydney's relationship and rumors about her past to score points with the public. The President brushes it off until he realizes that he's about to lose Sydney because he won't stand up for himself. 

Thoughts

I enjoyed this movie. I wouldn't call it a favorite. The political machinations seemed very jargon heavy. That part of the movie didn't really speak to me. I enjoyed the relationship part of the movie although it did follow a fairly familiar and somewhat predictable path. Both leads were very good and the same can be said of the supporting cast. I guess it was the strong performances that did it for me because the plot, aside from the bits about the developement of Sydney and Andy's relationship was basically just scenery.

Notes

I've seen Michael Douglas in at least a dozen other films including Romancing the Stone (1984) and Falling Down (1993). I've seen Annette Benning in a couple other films but it's been over 10 years since I lasted watched something in which she appeared.

There are lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast including Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith, Samantha Mathis, David Paymer, Richard Dreyfuss, Wendie Malick, Gail Strickland, and John Mahoney. 

Aaron Sorkin wrote a couple other movies I have seen, A Few Good Men (1992) and Moneyball (2011). He also was the creator and wrote many episodes of The West Wing (1999-2006) which this film resembles in a number of ways.

I've seen at least a half dozen other films that Rob Reiner directed but the only other one that I have watched in the recent past is Stand By Me (1986).