The American President Review by Beth Ann Griese

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Starring	Michael Douglas, Annette Benning
Director	Rob Reiner
Year	1995
What it's worth		Full price (See this movie at whatever cost!)

Andrew Sheppard (Michael Douglas) is the kind of president we all like to think gets elected; one who is genuinely concerned about Americans, loves the country, and is a general all-around good guy. He's also a widower, and when Sidney Wade (Annette Benning) comes into his life, he's bowled over. The idea of the President trying to carry out a romantic life is tricky enough in this era of television and lack of privacy, but when the woman he's interested in is also a lobbyist, things can get plain ugly.

For me, a romance only works if I'm interested in the characters involved. Preferably, I'll even like them. Douglas and Benning create two extremely likable characters. Both are intelligent, funny, kind, and immediately attracted to each other (another important ingredient for a romance, or at least for one that you're going to tell in less than two hours). Everyone in the audience is rooting for this relationship to work out.

The surprising thing about this movie is that even the politics - the machinations, the considerations, the deals - are accurate. The romance story isn't so all-possessing that everything else is left as thin plot devices. We understand the concerns and the issues that are pulling at these two people, and at the people around them at the White House and the environmental lobby. The supporting cast here is stellar.

I think it says quite a bit that I enjoyed this movie thoroughly even though I didn't agree with the politics of Sheppard. The most villified character in the movie is the lead contender for the next election. I don't know that I would have voted for Sheppard for President, but I definitely vote for seeing his movie.

Side note: Did you notice that I didn't mention Frank Capra once in this review? That was deliberate, because the movie does it for me. Benning's character mentions her "Capra-esque" emotions, which are then explained by a walk-on who tells exactly who Frank Capra is and why he's so famous. That didn't strike me as strange until I noticed, in the credits, that the second unit director is Frank Capra, III. Coincidence?

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