Movies to Watch After You Vote

Movies to Watch After You Vote

Posted on November 4, 2024 at 7:59 pm

After you vote, take a break from red and blue maps to enjoy some movies about politics and portrayals of real US Presidents on screen.

Fictional movies about elections include The Best Man, with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson as rivals perhaps inspired by Adlai Stevenson, JFK, and Richard Nixon. There is an unforgettable scene with stand-up comic Shelly Berman as someone accusing a candidate of then-career-ending homosexuality. The screenplay is by Gore Vidal, who knew something about being gay in a homophobic world and something about politics as the author of books about history and as a relative of Jackie Kennedy. Vidal appears briefly in the film as a delegate.

Wag the Dog is a satire with Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro. Ryan Gosling is an idealistic campaign staffer in Ides of March.

The War Room (Clinton) and Primary (JFK) are two of the best Presidential campaign documentaries. Primary Colors has John Travolta and Emma Thompson as characters inspired by the Clintons. Game Change has Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, VP candidate selected by John McCain.

Daniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Lincoln.  I’ve already written about some of the many other movie versions of Lincoln’s life.  “Wilson” stars Oscar nominee Alexander Knox in a dignified tribute to the 29th President. Gary Sinese gave a powerful performance in the HBO movie, Truman. Rough Riders has Tom Berenger as Theodore Roosevelt, leading Cuban rebels against Spain.

Perhaps the most fanciful portrayal of a real US President is “The Remarkable Andrew,” with William Holden as an honorable accountant who discovers a discrepancy in the town books and is visited by the ghost of his favorite President, Andrew Jackson (Brian Donlevy), who provides guidance and support.

President Kennedy’s WWII experience was the subject of PT 109, starring Cliff Robertson.  He was also the subject of 13 Days, about the Cuban missile crisis.  Oliver Stone has directed movies about Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins (who also played a memorably cagy John Quincy Adams in “Amistad”), and George W. Bush, played by Josh Brolin.  President Nixon has been portrayed in a number of other films, from the acclaimed Frost/Nixon to the humorous but touching Elvis and Nixon and the wild satire Dick.  And of course he is the subject of the Oscar-winning Best Picture All the President’s Men, though he is only glimpsed in archival footage.

The Butler is based on the true story of a man who worked in the White House for eight Presidents, and we see everyone from Eisenhower to Reagan portrayed in the film. Of course Reagan himself was an actor before he went into politics. His best films include “King’s Row” (his own favorite), “Hellcats of the Navy” (co-starring with Nancy Reagan), and, yes, “Bedtime for Bonzo.”

There are some great President movies made for television: Gary Sinese gave a superb performance in Truman and Bryan Cranston was outstanding in the role he originated on Broadway, Lyndon Johnson in All the Way.

President and Mrs. Obama were portrayed in a film about their first date, Southside With You. (For the real story of what happened that night, see this adorable column by my dad, who was there.)

According to TIME Magazine, Lincoln has been portrayed most frequently on screen but perhaps the President most memorable on film is Franklin Roosevelt, the only man to be elected four times, with Sunrise At Campobello, Eleanor and Franklin and its sequel, Warm Springs, Hyde Park on Hudson, and, of course, Annie!  (TIME notes that the only US President never to show up as a character in a movie is Warren G. Harding.)

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For Your Netflix Queue Movies for Grown-Ups Politics

Andy Blood Interviewed Me About…Everything

Posted on January 21, 2017 at 8:26 pm

Thanks to Andy Blood for interviewing me about my favorite movie of the century (so far) and my thoughts on corporate governance, movies, politics, and culture.

Movies are not just a way to pass the time. They are a way to connect to ideas and situations and characters who challenge our assumptions and make us see the world in a new way. I like to remind people who read my reviews that movies are just the beginning of a journey of exploration and imagination and give them some ideas about where that can take them next. Plus, it gives me a chance to recommend some of my favorite books and movies and museums!

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Interview Media Appearances

Can A Movie Change Your Mind About Politics?

Posted on January 19, 2014 at 8:00 am

A provocative new study measured the effects of movies on the viewers’ thoughts about political/public policy issues like the environment, abortion, and health care, even the viewers’ overall faith in the political system.  Mother Jones explains some of the findings about the influence of particular movies.  This makes sense — after all, there is a multi-billion dollar industry devoted to the belief that an ad of thirty seconds or less can persuade us to think we need their products.  And media like “Will and Grace,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and “Brokeback Mountain” did not just reflect a broader comfort level with openly gay characters in real life as well as on screen; they actually increased it.  It is interesting that it does not have to be an especially good movie to have an impact.  But part of any form of art, especially a narrative like a novel or a movie or a play, is enlarging our perspective by giving us a different point of view or experience.  I would be more surprised by a study showing that movies did not change the audience’s mind very frequently.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Electoral Dysfunction — A New Documentary from Mo Rocca

Posted on October 28, 2013 at 3:59 pm

Election day is coming next week, and Mo Rocca (“The Daily Show,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me”) has a new documentary about the state of elections in today’s America, with the backdrop of the 2008 Presidential election.  Rocca set out on a road trip to see how voting works – and doesn’t work. He heads to Indiana, home to (then) some of the strictest election laws in the country, and meets Democrat Mike Marshall and Republican Dee Dee Benkie, who take him inside their efforts to get out every vote. As he progresses on his journey, Mo searches for the Electoral College; investigates the heated battle over Voter ID and voter fraud; critiques ballot design with fashion mogul Todd Oldham; and explores the case of a former felon who was sentenced to ten years in prison—for the crime of voting. Irreverent, engaging and nonpartisan (and selected for viewing at the conventions of both major parties), this documentary is for voters across the political spectrum who want their votes to count.

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Documentary Politics
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