The American President (1995)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer (WGA):

Aaron Sorkin (written by)

Release Date:

17 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Why can't the most powerful man in the world have the one thing he wants most?

Plot:

Comedy-drama about a widowed US president and a lobbyist who fall in love. It's all aboveboard, but "politics is perception" and sparks fly anyway.

Plot Keywords:

Lobbyist | Senator | Love | U.S. President | Politics

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	President Andrew Shepherd
Annette Bening	...	Sydney Ellen Wade
Martin Sheen	...	A.J. MacInerney
Michael J. Fox	...	Lewis Rothschild
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Robin McCall
Samantha Mathis	...	Janie Basdin
Shawna Waldron	...	Lucy Shepherd
David Paymer	...	Leon Kodak
Anne Haney	...	Mrs. Chapil
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Senator Bob Rumson
Nina Siemaszko	...	Beth Wade
Wendie Malick	...	Susan Sloan
Beau Billingslea	...	Agent Cooper
Gail Strickland	...	Esther MacInerney
Joshua Malina	...	David

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #33993)

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

At one point, Emma Thompson was in talks for the female lead.

Goofs:

Continuity: Standing clock in the Oval Office shows randomly varying times. When the President asks for the time and someone answers "3:30", the clock reads something completely different.

Quotes:

President Andrew Shepherd: Lewis, however much coffee you drink in the morning, I want you to reduce it by half.
Lewis Rothschild: I don't drink coffee, sir.
President Andrew Shepherd: Then hit yourself over the head with a baseball bat, would you please?

Movie Connections:

References Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Soundtrack:

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Good Premise, Good Actors, But Not Exactly a Great Film...

"The American President," starring Michael Douglas, Annette Benning, Martin Sheen, and Michael J. Fox has a good premise, and carries strong through the first half, but eventually deteriorates into your average, run-of-the-mill, predictable romantic drama/comedy.

The strong performances by both lead actors an co-stars makes "The American President" a definite must-see. Just don't expect anything too great. 3/5 stars-

John Ulmer