The American President (1995)
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A widowed U.S. President navigates a complex political landscape while falling in love with an environmental lobbyist.
The story
Popular Democratic U.S. President Andrew Shepherd prepares to run for re-election while attempting to pass a moderate crime control bill. The administration faces difficulty gaining support from both conservatives and liberals. Amidst the political tension, Shepherd meets and is attracted to Sydney Ellen Wade, an environmental lobbyist. He invites her to act as his date at a state dinner. The two strike a deal involving the passage of her environmental legislation in exchange for his support of the crime bill. As they begin a romance, a Republican challenger begins to attack Shepherd's character and his relationship with Wade, complicating the political stakes for both of them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
President Andrew Shepherd seeks re-election by passing a crime control bill, but faces resistance from both sides of the aisle. He strikes a deal with environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade: he will support her environmental bill if she secures enough votes before his State of the Union Address. As they fall in love, a Republican challenger, Senator Bob Rumson, attacks their relationship and Shepherd's integrity. When it is revealed that the same congressmen are trying to block both bills, Shepherd is forced to choose between his deal with Wade and the crime bill. He ultimately chooses the crime bill, causing Wade's firm to fire her. However, before the State of the Union, Shepherd publicly rebukes Rumson's attacks on Wade and announces a more ambitious environmental bill with significant cuts in fossil fuels, while also introducing a stronger crime bill. The move reconciles him and Wade and secures his political standing.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Reiner
- Writers
- Aaron Sorkin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Douglas · President Andrew Shepherd; Annette Bening · Sydney Ellen Wade; Martin Sheen · A.J.; Michael J. Fox · not specified; David Paymer · not specified; Samantha Mathis · not specified
- Genres
- political romantic comedy drama
- Themes
- politics; romance
- Tone and mood
- charming; romantic
- Premise and plot tags
- political; romance; presidential
- Reception
- The film was praised for its lead performances, score, story, and screenplay. It received positive reviews from critics and was noted for its 'political bite' and 'charm'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 90% · scale: percentage · review count: 130; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Picture – Musical or Comedy · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Director · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Actor – Musical or Comedy · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Actress – Musical or Comedy · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Screenplay · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Musical or Comedy Score · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was ranked No. 75 on the American Film Institute's 2002 list of America's Greatest Love Stories.; The screenplay inspired several aspects of the television drama The West Wing.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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