We’re less than a week away from the culmination of the wildest Election period of my lifetime (and I was two years old in 2000). It’s also the first year I will be voting. But I’ve been casting votes on, and helping determine the fate of, films for over 10 years. Here are my favorite political standouts during my current term as a movie critic:
COMEDIC – Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis tackled small-town politics in 2012’s “The Campaign”, an 85-minute laugh-fest that also made some smart points about the (outrageous) nature of elections.
ROMANTIC – 2011’s “The Adjustment Bureau” starred Matt Damon as a Congressman who lost a Senate race – but the film mostly involved him and a mysterious woman he made out with in a public restroom (Emily Blunt) and the even more mysterious forces keeping them from falling in love.
BASIC – “The Ides of March” (also from ’11) was directed by George Clooney. He also co-starred as a governor seeking re-election, with hotshot Ryan Gosling as his campaign manager. While the film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, the story’s big twists weren’t that unique or exciting. But the film’s half-Gosling/half-Clooney poster is one of the best of the decade.
TIMELY – The late Robin Williams played a Jon Stewart-esque, political talk show host who becomes the Presidential frontrunner in 2006’s “Man of the Year”. A controversial TV/media personality running for office? Absurd.
STRETCHING REALITY – “Swing Vote” (2008) starred Kevin Costner as a man who was forced to cast the deciding vote in a Presidential race between candidates played by Kelsey Grammer and the late Dennis Hopper. The star-studded cast also included Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane, George Lopez, Paula Patton and Madeline Carroll.
ENTHRALLING – The top of my list in this genre is HBO’s 2012 drama, “Game Change”, which chronicled the ’08 Presidential race. Julianne Moore is incredible as Sarah Palin – Woody Harrelson equally strong as Senior Campaign Strategist, Steve Schmidt. And Ed Harris was almost unrecognizable as a feisty John McCain. It deservedly won Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics Choice, SAG & Writers Guild of America Awards.