Review of The American President (1995) by Steven Y — 01 May 2009
This movie is entertaining enough, fills in enough political insider stuff, has a nice romantic storyline and one of Michael J. Fox's best acting jobs. Martin Sheen does some prep for his "West Wing" turn as chief of staff very handily.
Michael Douglas handles the President/single parent role competently. The real star is, of course, Annette Benning, who steals just about every scene. Richard Dreyfuss really hams it up as the loyal(?) opposition candidate.
The plot follows young, handsome, charismatic President Andrew Shepherd as he wines and dines lovely lobbyist Ellen Wade, while trying to run the country, improve his popularity and electability, navigate political minefields and raise his teenage daughter.
The film is well directed by Rob Reiner, who always seems to get that extra something out of his actors. My wife liked it a lot more than I did, but it's still an entertaining, if fluffy political/romantic comedy/drama.
This review of The American President (1995) was written by Steven Y on 01 May 2009.
The American President has generally received positive reviews.
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