This a sweet, if disposable, film. Kevin Kline plays Dave, owner of a temp agency with a very close resemblance to the President (also played by Kline). It's the good twin / evil twin version of The American President.
Dave is hired to double for the President at a fund raiser, so the President can sneak out of the building. While bedding his mistress (possibly an intern--the movie was ahead of its time) the President suffers a stroke and is incapacitated. Rather than turn things over to the Vice, the Chief of Staff and Press Secretary connive to put Dave in office, in hopes of running the show themselves. The First Lady (Sigourney Weaver) has been essentially separated from the President for years so she proves no problem (she can't stand the sight of her husband).
But Dave gets tired of being a puppet and starts to act like the President. He invites a CPA friend of his (Charles Grodin) to help trim the budget, chats with his bodyguard, and charms everyone in Washington.
This is an American version of The Prince and the Pauper. It certainly raises the usual questions: why are our politicians such manipulative, conniving bastards? The answer, of course, is that our political system rewards such. In America politicians cannot afford too much integrity of honesty. But we can dream can't we?
Dave is hired to double for the President at a fund raiser, so the President can sneak out of the building. While bedding his mistress (possibly an intern--the movie was ahead of its time) the President suffers a stroke and is incapacitated. Rather than turn things over to the Vice, the Chief of Staff and Press Secretary connive to put Dave in office, in hopes of running the show themselves. The First Lady (Sigourney Weaver) has been essentially separated from the President for years so she proves no problem (she can't stand the sight of her husband).
But Dave gets tired of being a puppet and starts to act like the President. He invites a CPA friend of his (Charles Grodin) to help trim the budget, chats with his bodyguard, and charms everyone in Washington.
This is an American version of The Prince and the Pauper. It certainly raises the usual questions: why are our politicians such manipulative, conniving bastards? The answer, of course, is that our political system rewards such. In America politicians cannot afford too much integrity of honesty. But we can dream can't we?