‘In this country, it is not only permissible to question our leaders, it’s our responsibility…’
When you think of Aaron Sorkin and politics, it is perhaps The West Wing that comes to mind, or maybe The Newsroom. I had no idea that Sorkin, chosen by Robert Redford, who subsequently dropped out of the project, had already tried a soft launch of his show about American politics with the 1995 film, The American President…
Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), a popular Democratic U.S. President, is riding high in the approval polls and attempts to take advantage of his purple patch by passing a moderate crime bill. Shepherd, a widower, sees his ratings plummet, however, when he becomes embroiled with Annette Bening’s principled lobbyist, Sydney Ellen Wade. The starry cast is rounded out by Michael J. Fox, Martin Sheen and John Mahoney (there is also a brief appearance from The West Wing alumni, Joshua Malina).
When I say this feels like a soft launch for The West Wing (which arrived four years later in 1999), I mean we literally have the President walking quickly through corridors whilst espousing Sorkin’s trademark quickfire and quippy dialogue. The presence of Sheen, but not as PUSA, is initially jarring, and while Douglas is compelling in the lead role, he clearly isn’t as presidential as his more likeable co-star. As with The West Wing, all the political stuff here is, against all odds, genuinely fascinating. Sorkin is probably the most effective writer ever at taking what is essentially quite dull political minutiae and somehow making it exciting. Less successful, however, is the rendering of the relationship between Douglas and Bening. While they are both funny and watchable here, they don’t really share much authentic chemistry, and it’s perhaps not surprising that the film’s best moments occur between Douglas and Sheen (who do have a genuine chemistry – the scene in which they fall out in the film’s third act is probably its best moment).
Despite being a modest box office success, well-received by critics, and boasting a cast full of talented actors, The American President seems to be another one of those great mid-budget films for adults that were once plentiful in the ’90s but now seem to have fallen by the wayside. Sorkin fans will love it.
