BEST POLITICAL MOVIES
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) James Stewart is the very embodiment of an idealistic political novice in director Frank Capra’s classic, demonstrating how an honest man can buck a corrupt system and succeed.
“All the King’s Men” (1949) Broderick Crawford earned a best-actor Oscar as bombastic Southern politician Willie Stark, who burns a few too many bridges en route to being elected governor. “Seven Days in May” (1964) In another Frankenheimer film, the U.S. president (Frederic March) faces a potential military coup led by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Burt Lancaster) in a gripping melodrama with a script by Rod Serling.
“The Best Man” (1964): Gore Vidal’s play makes a compelling screen drama, with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson as two of the men vying for their party’s presidential nomination.
“The Candidate” (1972): Robert Redford’s political awareness is well-known, but he wisely lets the story do the talking in this cleverly crafted satire that earned writer Jeremy Larner an Oscar. Redford’s character, the son of a veteran politician (Melvyn Douglas), is the dark horse in a Senate race – making it quite a surprise when he gains traction in the polls, resulting in a memorable closing line that’s a poignant stunner.
“All the President’s Men” (1976) Both a great political drama and a great journalism drama, the saga of the Nixon-era Watergate scandal sees Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman lead an amazing cast as journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
“The American President” (1995): It may be designed largely as a romantic fantasy, but this comedy-drama also has a lot on its mind regarding the basics of politics, as one might expect from a script by “West Wing” mentor Aaron Sorkin. Michael Douglas plays the widower who occupies the White House; his liaison with a lobbyist (Annette Bening) draws lots of attention while he’s up for re-election, especially from his chief rival (Richard Dreyfuss) for the office.
“Bulworth” (1998): What if a politician told it exactly like it is? Warren Beatty pulls out all the stops as writer, director and star of this hilarious comedy about a senator who goes for broke.
“Election” (1999): Political moves affect a high school big-time in writer-director Alexander Payne’s (“Sideways”) smart comedy, with Matthew Broderick as a teacher bent on derailing the all-but-certain winner’s (Reese Witherspoon) bid to become class president.
“The Contender” (2000) After his vice president’s death, the sitting president (Jeff Bridges) selects a replacement (Joan Allen) who undergoes a bruising confirmation process in this excellent drama from writer-director Rod Lurie (“The Outpost”). “Lincoln” (2012) For all the presidential movie biographies there have been over the years, director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s portrait of America’s 16th chief executive is one of the most effective, thanks also to an Oscar-winning title performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.