Ring in new administration with presidential productions
As America begins a new chapter this week with President Joe Biden, there are plenty of shows and movies to ring in the occasion.
Almost everything in American politics has been covered one way or another in entertainment. Everything from the Watergate scandal to civil rights legislation to what presidents did before they entered the White House has been the inspiration for movies and TV shows. A lot of crazy stuff happens in politics, so it’s no wonder it’s a gold mine for Hollywood.
When it comes to who is the best president this country has ever had, Abraham Lincoln consistently ranks among the top and for good reason — he led the nation during a time of division and played a key role in passage of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery. Of course this man should have a movie in his honor, starring none other than the great Daniel Day-Lewis.
“Lincoln” takes place in 1865 in the months leading up to the end of the Civil War and when the president felt it was most imperative to pass the 13th Amendment. There was plenty of opposition to the legislation, but Lincoln needed to pass the amendment before slave states returned to the union, to remove any possibility that freed slaves might be re-enslaved.
Throughout the film, Lincoln and his aides go to different representatives to try to persuade them to vote for the amendment, though many make their racism clear. Additionally, we see Union and Confederate leaders begin to meet for peace talks and the unfortunate casualties that the Civil War caused.
It goes without saying that Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors of our time. When he is given a role, he completely assumes that individual’s personality and becomes them. His role as the 16th president is one of his career’s crowning achievements. You feel like you’re really seeing the president in all his glory during the film’s 2½-hour runtime. You get a sense of the pressure, frustration and division this great man was facing back in 1865, and it’s all thanks to the fantastic Day-Lewis. It’s no wonder this role earned him his third best actor Oscar.
“Lincoln” can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
It’s safe to say the spotlight is mostly on presidents during their time in office, while vice presidents are often ignored. Well one particular fictional VP never liked to be second best, and her name is Selina Meyer.
The satirical HBO comedy “Veep” follows the political and personal life of Meyer (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as vice president and later as she embarks on her presidential campaign. Except Meyer doesn’t seem like the presidential type: She’s rude to everyone,
constantly insults friends, family and colleagues, is very vulgar and always in the middle of some scandal. She clearly isn’t the whole package, but I still absolutely adore her.
Over the course of seven seasons, we see Meyer navigate being in the political spotlight by meeting with other world leaders and trying not to insult them, making bad deals and trying to win the votes of the American citizens. She also has to work with very disorganized, untrustworthy and seriously incompetent advisers and staff members. It’s no wonder she is the way she is!
This is not your typical political show — it’s a million times more goofy and
outrageous than “The West Wing” — but you still learn a lot about politics, such
as what happens when there’s a tie in the Electoral College.
This role was made for Louis-Dreyfus, a comedic genius who has perfect timing and priceless facial expressions. The way she delivers some of the most painful burns to her incompetent colleagues is truly incredible, and seriously I wish I was as good at comebacks as her. Her political party is never revealed, which makes the craziness of this character even more enjoyable. There’s plenty to critique on both sides of the aisle, but this show really takes the cake with ridiculous
“did they really just say that?” moments.
During Biden’s vice presidency, he did a few videos with Louis-Dreyfus’ Meyer, showing that veeps have to stick together. Meyer eventually works her way up to the top seat — in crazy Meyer fashion of course — so it’s fun to see Biden step into the presidency as well.
You can stream “Veep” on HBO Max or Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with an HBO subscription.