"The American President"

Title: "The American President"
Director: Rob Reiner
Producer: B. Maltby, C. Newirth, R. Reiner, and J. Stott
Editing: Hughes Winborne
Composer: Marc Shaiman
Starring:
- Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd
- Annette Benning as Sydney Ellen Wade
- Martin Sheen as A.J. MacInerney (White House Chief of Staff)
- Michael J. Fox as Lewis Rothschild (Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy)

Plot and Critical Review: Andrew Shepherd is introduced as an immensely popular Democratic president from the state of Wisconsin preparing to run for re-election with a 63% approval rating. The President and his staff, led by Chief of Staff A.J. MacInerney, attempt to consolidate the administration's high poll ratings by passing a moderate crime control bill. However, support for the bill from both parties is not very strong. Conservatives and Republicans don't want the bill at all, and liberals and Democrats think the bill is too weak. If the bill passes, Shepherd's re-election is presumed by his team to be a shoo-in.

The President of France is about to arrive on a state visit to the United States, occasioning a state dinner in his honor. As a result, Shepherd is presented with the awkward predicament of having to find a partner for himself: his wife has been dead for three years, and his cousin, with whom he had planned on attending, is ill.

The President's attention soon focuses on Sydney Ellen Wade, who has just moved to Washington, D.C. to work for an environmental lobby in the attempt to persuade the President to pass legislation committing his Administration to substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions. During their first meeting, Shepherd and Wade are immediately intrigued by each other, and Shepherd invites Wade to the state dinner.

At the same meeting, Shepherd strikes a deal with Wade: if she can secure a certain 24 votes for the environmental bill, he will deliver the last 10 votes. He believes Wade will not be able to get enough votes to meet her obligation, thus releasing Shepherd who will be seen to have tried, without being blamed for failing.

During the state dinner, as well as subsequent occasions, the couple falls in love. The relationship, as well as Shepherd's politicking down the middle, results in a decline in his popularity. The decline is spurred by relentless attacks by presidential hopeful Bob Rumson, a conservative Republican Senator from Kansas and the Senate Minority Leader. The attacks focus on Wade's activist past, an attack on Shepherd's ethics and his family values, and the President's refusal to respond to Republican attacks. The President's precarious situation is exacerbated by the impending failure of his crime bill.

Eventually Wade does manage to get enough votes for the environmental bill to meet her part of the deal. Before she can tell Shepherd, he discovers that three Congressmen from Michigan are willing to deliver their votes to him on the crime bill if he shelves the environmental bill. As he is exactly three votes short, with no other apparent options to acquire them, he agrees, seemingly betraying Wade, who is fired from her lobbying firm, then breaks up with him. However, when she visits the White House to "break up" with him, he explained that politics is making choices, and that he had never made any pretense that anything other than that the crime control bill (as opposed to her environmental bill) had been his number one priority.

The film builds to a climax timed to coincide with the State of the Union speech, planned as a conciliatory, non-partisan event. However, ruminating on Wade's leaving him and his sacrifice of a bill he believes in for the sake of a bill he doesn't really believe will have much effect, Shepherd has a change of heart.

He makes a surprise appearance in the White House press room to rebut the Republican attacks on his values and character, and then sends the controversial environmental bill to Congress while withdrawing his support for the moderate crime bill, promising that he will write a stronger crime bill in due time. Wade comes back to him, arriving in the Oval Office just before he leaves to go to her house, which leads to their reconciliation. The film ends as Shepherd enters the House chamber, with Wade on his arm, to rapturous applause.

"The American President" is an enjoyable movie, but nothing special in light of the many President-focused projects that have been released. This film had an immense influence on the television series "West Wing", but not much of an influence beyond that. I recommend it as an essential part of any 4th of July Movie Marathon and a worthwhile piece of curriculum for high school social science classes.

My Rating: 5.5/10

Content to Caution:
V-0 – No comment.
L-2.5 – When politicians get upset, they say naughty things.
DU-1 – Casual drinking and smoking.
RT-0 – No comment.
H/S-0 – No comment.
CH-1 – Sydney is called a "whore" by Senator Rumson.
S/N-0 – No comment.

The "Reel Revelation": "Right and Wrong"

How do you feel about politics? Do you like to talk about them or do you try to avoid political-themed conversation as much as possible? I like to discuss and debate national policy, but I don't fancy arguments about such topics. After all, how many conversations have you had about politics which didn't turn into arguments? One thing is for sure, politics is one of the deepest and most personal of all topics; especially for Americans. I can only think of one other topic that has been so hotly debated in the halls of our national capitols and in living rooms all across our nation; religion.

As I watched "The American President" I began to feel in quite the political/American mood. I started to chat with a friend about J.F.K. and, weaving our way through American history we eventually came to the topic of the performance of our current President. It was quickly apparent that we disagreed on some of the things President Obama has chosen to do and not do during his time in office. It was during an exchange of opinion that my friend said something that struck me; “I don’t really like to talk about politics, mainly because you think you’re right but I know that I am!” While I knew that this phrase was meant in jest (as my friend confirmed with many “ha ha ha”s and “lol”s) I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pain in my heart. I hold no ill feeling toward my friend, but the experience led me to a deeper place of consideration in which I wondered how many people have exchanged this sentiment out of their own pride and caused very real and personal damage to others. More importantly, how many people feel this way in their hearts even if they don’t testify to it with their words?

When spoken out of pride and with the will to dominate the opinion of another, words like these do far more damage than we realize. Have you ever felt “dominated” by the opinion of another person? What was your reaction? How did you feel toward that person after they asserted their opinion as being universally right and yours definitively wrong? Did they gain your trust and respect by speaking to you in such a way? If someone spoke to me in that way I’d try my very best to understand their opinion, but deep down I’d be hard-pressed to feel anything but resentment toward them. Exchanges like these can lead to the dissolution of relationships and cause great damage to our families and communities. It’s here that we ought to consider these words from the Psalmist:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

How many times have we seen communities of faith (and political groups and even entire nations!) break apart due to an inability to pursue and attain a true sense of unity? How many relationships in your life have been injured or lost because harmony wasn’t found? May we intentionally seek after a way to live in unity with one another, even with those who we’re tempted or have come to resent because their opinion is different than our own. And may we be humble of heart in the process, choosing to listen before we speak, question before we condemn, and love before we lose a chance to dwell in the unity God desires for all of mankind.

“…we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming: but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4: 14-16)

See you tomorrow- E.T.