The American President (1995)

An action-packed slog

Absolutely amazing

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I've had this movie in my library for a long time and recently viewed it for the 1st time in about 5 years. The base story is a cute little romance with some comedy elements thrown in. Even the very clichéd character portrayals as all Democrats good and all Republicans bad is tolerable, even though some of the depictions are really nonsensical. I can accept this somewhat as it comes from Rob Reiner who has talent but continues to let his artistic endeavors get heavily tainted by his childish and buffoonish life outlook.The acting is universally good and the nonpolitical portions of the script were very well done. But in the end the movie is completely undone by the loony toony pronouncements by the characters as to what cataclysmic results await us in 10 years if we don't toe the proper Al Gore line on global warming or whatever we're calling it now. It's 20 years down the road and were all still here and doing fine.The only value to watching this movie now is to realize the extent of the liberal nonsense that was routinely included in movies in the 90s. Today, at least they make an attempt to incorporate their agenda in a little more sophisticated manner. This movie is now hopeless for anybody with a brain.

The lead actress is especially good and we've seen her in several good films. I've also often enjoyed films with Michael Douglas. Both attracted me to the film initially. However, this particular film is slanted in its political views and is pulled out by networks prior to every election it seems. The Democrat President, his daughter, his girlfriend (who speaks French!), and his staff and friends are all charming and attractive and smiling and happy, while the Republicans are gray-haired and grave faced. A primary Republican politico, played by Richard Dreyfus, is shown with gray-hair (he was young then), and there's a white spotlight shining down on him (subtle) as he sneers and makes insulting remarks about the opposition. I think bias in either political direction doesn't belong in films, but it will probably never end. To conclude: I don't believe Moderates or Republicans will like this level of manipulation by Hollywood.

Though this film was released in the 90s, I'm just now reviewing it because it strikes me every time I watch it that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Aside from being a beautifully crafted love story, this film illustrates several of the problems still plaguing Washington today. "That's just the way things are done" shouldn't be acceptable, but as long as we allow things to remain status quo they will. If only a real President would emulate President Shepherd's surprise speech to the press corps in this film we'd be on our way to a better world. Marc Shaiman gave us an Oscar-deserving score for this film. The use of "I Have Dreamed" as the signature song of the state dinner was sheer perfection. Douglas and Benning were at their finest in this film. Reiner is a genius….enough said. "The American President" was--and still is--the perfect storm of talent and creativity.

The American President (1995)What a smart, fast, feel-good movie about American politics and the power of the presidency. And how unlikely (these thing don't usually go together).What makes it work? Everything! I know deep down that this isn't a masterpiece, a Citizen Kane or Godfather kind of movie. But it is in its own way perfect. It's funny as can be--endlessly witty or sarcastic or actually cleverly funny. It's acted to a T, including of course the two leads, Michael Douglas in his alpha male with a personable side and Annette Bening in her utterly charming and disarmingly sharp warmth.It's almost impossible to appreciate the huge list of side characters who are first rate through and through, even in their very brief roles. Richard Dreyfuss might be the least of these since he plays an obvious stereotype. Michael J. Fox is funny and quick and Martin Sheen is quasi-presidential as he needs to be since of course (via "West Wing") he later becomes the president.But not here. This is the story of Douglas and Bening. It presages the excellent British version , in its own way, "Love Actually," with Hugh Grant and an equally big cast of excellent extras, but that was more purely feel-good (or feel-incredibly-good) and this one eight years earlier actually has a political axe to grind.In fact, I'm going to guess that one reason for the slightly deflated ratings is the conservative audience didn't really like what the president stands for here, and though it is just a movie, it's easier to root for the cast when they tend to agree with you. And agree in emphatic eloquent ways. There is a speech Douglas (as president) gives toward the end that comes out and boldly takes a simple stand for decent liberal values. He's confident, clear, and unwavering. And if you agree with that kind of thing (I do) you want to say hurrah.And you want our own darned president to say what he believes so simply and with such firmness.Of course, all of this is simplified and made too easy. Luckily it's not only about politics. In fact it's a comedy or manners, you might say, the protocol of who to behave with and near the president being fodder for great laughs just as much as the Victorian plays and movies had fun with the same twists of expectations. No wonder it morphed into a hit television series--though oddly enough the humor gets minimized. Maybe the same kinds of jokes wear themselves out.Rob Reiner is maybe our most astute politically astute director, at least when there is a sense of humor required. He cut his teeth in every way with the best, working with and under Norman Lear in years of shooting (and performing, as "Meathead") in "All in the Family." It shows here. He has a real knack for timing, for turning absurdity to wit, and for warmth. (He probably got some of that from the Smothers Brothers, too.) If you like this don't stop here--Reiner has many other good or possibly great movies, many getting better reviews than this one.But here we have "The American President," deceptively simple in its title. This is above all a really cozy movie. You want to watch, and you want to be there. At least for a couple hours.I sound foolish liking this silly movie too much, but there you have it.