Primary Day Movie Refuge
It’s Primary Day in a dozen states today. Super Tuesday. Go ahead, shudder.
If that concept is just a bit too fearsome for you to contemplate, perhaps shut out the Primary madness with some election and Presidential-themed movies instead.
At the top of the pile is Election. This pitch-black comedy starred Reese Witherspoon as the bitchy high school overachiever determined to win the school presidency. Matthew Broderick was the hapless teacher desperate to derail her. It’s oddly on point for this particular Primary Day.
For some broader Primary Day laughs, you could check out an election comedy like Head of State. That featured Chris Rock as a small time city councilman who somehow winds up a major party Presidential candidate. A lot of it was pretty silly, but there were a few inspired gags. Plus the late and much missed Bernie Mac was fantastic as Chris’s scheming brother. On a slightly sweeter note was Dave, which featured Kevin Kline as a normal schlub who winds up secretly “filling in” for the President for whom he’s a dead ringer when said President becomes incapacitated. Or if you want to scrape the bottom of that thematic barrel, there’s Swing Vote, featuring Kevin Costner as the most clueless man in America who winds up as the deciding vote in a Presidential election that somehow wound up being tied.
If you want something more dramatic for Primary Day, go with The Manchurian Candidate. The original, of course. Frank Sinatra as a military vet who thinks his ex-squadmate, now a major political candidate, may have been turned by the Communists. If you only know Angela Lansbury from Murder, She Wrote, you will be shocked by her sinister turn as the candidate’s domineering mother. The biggest mystery: how Janet Leigh got third billing for appearing in about five minutes of the movie.
If you’d like to forget about the election aspect of Primary Day, there are plenty of movies about being the President. The scathing Wag the Dog was rather a shocking bit of coincidence. Filmed before the Monica Lewinksy scandal broke, it was all about a President’s shady advisor (Robert DeNiro) faking a war to distract the public from the Prez’s dalliance with an eager young volunteer. Dustin Hoffman was a blast as the breezy Hollywood producer recruited to stage the “pageant.”
Somewhat more earnest was The American President. It’s “rah rah, government” sentiments were instantly forgettable. But more interesting was the concept of a widowed President (Michael Douglas) attempting to start a romance with a smart lobbyist (Annette Bening) and all the issues that would entail in the world of 24/7 news coverage.
But let’s really put all that serious Primary Day stuff aside and focus on what being President is all about: two-fisted action! Nothing will restore your faith in the Executive Branch like Harrison Ford as an ass-kicking President in Air Force One. He serves up some payback to the terrorists who have taken over his sweet ride. And if you don’t cheer when Ford growls “get off of my plane” you may not have a pulse.
Often the President is more the wing man for another action hero. That could be In the Line of Fire, with Clint Eastwood as a grizzled Secret Service vet who runs down a plot to assassinate the President. Or maybe Olympus Has Fallen, where Gerard Butler plays a far less grizzled vet dealing with an invasion of the White House.
Or maybe forget all those movies and seek out You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown. Linus runs for Class President. Lucy and Charlie Brown serve as his campaign managers. Hilarity ensues.
Originally published at thunderalleybcpcom.ipage.com on March 1, 2016.
