Irishchatter
OK I know this is a 1990's film involving politics but by god, it wasn't the best film I have ever seen. Alright we have American Legends like Michael J Fox, Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen to make this film look good, it really isn't. I felt that the film was dragging on and not really uplifting as any romantic movie should. I also felt that the casting should've been tweaked a bit. I thought Annette Bening shouldn't have been casted as the presidents love interest, I was actually thinking the little Secretary (cant remember the actresses name) with the glasses, would've been the best bet to have as his love interest. Bening is a good actress but definitely not for this role! I'm a little disappointed in this film, it needed to have been better but I think it had failed in my opinion......
TxMike
What makes any movie someone's favorite? That isn't easy to define, and if I listed all my "favorites" it would make many scratch their heads because they are so varied. But this is one of my wife's favorites so we watched it yet again on this cold, rainy winter night the day after new year 2016. On DVD at home.Michael Douglas, about 50, is President Andrew Shepherd, going into the final year of his first term. He had become a widower shortly before the last election and he occupies the White House with his young teen daughter. he has a high approval rating, somewhere around 63% and is planning on pushing two pieces of legislation, one for gun-control and the other to reduce CO2 emissions to help arrest global warming.As a side note, here it is over 20 years later in the real world and the President is actually fighting for those same two issues, still meeting resistance from the manufacturing lobby and the gun lobby. Things don't change, do they?Anyway Annette Bening, in her mid-30s, is attractive and competent lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, working to help push through the environmental bill. When she first shows up at the White House for a meeting is thrown for a loop when the President, right after she is caught harshly criticizing him in the meeting, and he asks her to have lunch. Or something, Then she gets invited to be his date for a State Dinner honoring the French President.So the movie is about the President courting this smart and attractive lady while he and she work to get legislation passed. And at the same time dealing with insults and misinformation by Rumford, planning to run against the President.Martin Sheen has a good role as the Chief of Staff and Michael J. Fox, in his early 30s, as the speech writer. Good, fun movie. I like it also!
SnoopyStyle
President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is widowed and a single father of a teenage daughter. He falls head over heels for Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), a lobbyist for an environmental group. His relationship causes major headaches for his re-election chances.The romantic comedy part works very well. Director Rob Reiner knows exactly what he's doing. They are wonderful characters that make you fall in love with. For writer Aaron Sorkin, this is more or less a dry run for his iconic West Wing TV show. It's probably no accident that Martin Sheen is a major actor in this movie. It's a skillfully put together movie.But the issues being talked about, gun control and global warming, is just so dated. It is left wing talking points that clanks whenever they're mentioned. Even at the time, these issues were pushing the envelope. Also the politics just seems so naive compare to today. Where we ever so innocent? This was to respond to the election of Bill Clinton and the scrutiny that he got. Monica Lewinsky has even happened yet. This is a case of reality overwhelming make-believe.
851222
Greetings from Lithuania."The American President" is a movie making at its best. Key performances are wonderful by both leads. Directing, music is good. And the real star of the film is script. It's so clever, funny and realistic that you can't keep wondering how the writer put all this stuff together. Well, it's Aaron Sorkin - and that's the answer. This film - is a great film. It's not cheese romantic love story. Watch this film, if you love great writing, great performances and good believable romance. "The American President" is a charmer. This film is the second film that i writing review about, which headline contains word "charming", the first was "The Kids are all right". And do you want to know what they have in common? Annette Bening. She is marvelous.
AD
