Opinion | Some film and TV recommendations to watch after the presidential election
Collage by Emma Johnson
It may have been a tough few weeks for you since Election Day on Nov. 5, or perhaps the best weeks of your life. As a lover of movies, I find that there is no better way to entertain, cope and distract myself from an anxiety-ridden situation than to watch them.
If you need something to cheer you up or keep the high going, I have curated a list of my favorite movies and television shows with presidents in them for you to watch. I like to think that looking at funny, fake presidents in other universes that don’t exist reassures me that I am not alone in feeling worried and scared for our country.
There are plenty of biopics and films about real presidents like “Lincoln,” “JFK” and “Nixon,” but what fun would watching those be? We can deal with the politics and history of our real world any other time.
I bet we all miss the days of having charismatic presidents to watch on CNN. Well, look no further for another charming president than Andrew Shephard, played by Michael Douglas. From what I know of his work, Douglas does not typically play “the nice guy” — this film stands out for being just that. “The American President” is about the widowed U.S. President Shephard and the chaos that comes about when he falls in love with lobbyist Sydney Allen Wade (Annette Benning). I love this movie more than words can explain. If you want to watch a president who is a good leader and a kind soul, this one is for you.
I watched this film the same day I watched “The American President” — it was a great movie day for me. This one is such a treat! The film follows a man named Dave (Kevin Kline) who is recruited by the Secret Service as a look-alike stand-in for the president of the United States. I did not go into this film expecting a romance, but I was surprised with some hilarious and romantic scenes between Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Ben Kingsley also plays a spectacular vice president, while Ving Rhames is a surprise emotional pull. “Dave” is simply a feel-good, lovely film.
It would be unlike me to not mention one of my favorite films ever on this list. Now, you may be thinking, “Why is she mentioning this terrible movi—” IT IS A BEAUTIFUL, JOYOUS MOVIE! “Red, White & Royal Blue” follows the romance between the son of the first female president of the United States (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine). This movie means a lot to me, and at a time when I think we all need a little bit of love, it feels like the perfect pick. Uma Thurman has entered a very short but stacked list of women playing presidents in film. She is epic in this — the first female president of the United States from the state of Texas who turns Texas blue in her run for reelection. A world I wish I lived in.
This film is included for one specific reason: Terry Crews. “Idiocracy” is about an average man named Joe (Luke Wilson) who is recruited for a secret military hibernation project that goes wrong. Joe hibernates for too long and ends up in the year 2505 — where the average human intelligence has decreased tremendously and Joe is now the smartest person alive. Crews is the president in 2505. His name is Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. Is that detail enough to make you watch this movie?
Of all the picks on this list, I expect this to be the one most people have seen. “Independence Day” is THE alien invasion movie, and maybe the most patriotic film I have ever watched. The power of the people when we come together against an unknown evil is a feeling we all know. Gen Z may know Lewis Pullman from his role as Bob in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Who you SHOULD know is his father, Bill Pullman, who plays President Thomas J. Whitmore in this film. I am not embarrassed to say that I am in love with this man and I will not be taking any questions at this time. I hope you will join me in this feeling.
I recommend this one lightly because I think this film is too close to a nightmare I have been having this last week. The film, set in a dystopian future, follows a team of photojournalists who follow the battles of a civil war across the United States, trying to make it to the real action in Washington, D.C. This isn’t my favorite movie in the world, and definitely not one I plan on rewatching. However, if you want to feel happy that we aren’t living through a civil war and also depressed that something similar could very well be on the horizon, give British director Alex Garland’s film a shot.
“FIRST DAUGHTER” / ”CHASING LIBERTY”
If I had a nickel for every time a movie was made in 2004 that follows the president’s daughter who leaves home to discover herself and find independence but accidentally falls in love with a Secret Service agent who she doesn’t know is a Secret Service agent — I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. Michael Keaton and Mark Hamon play the president in their respective films. I will give Keaton the leg up because part of “First Daughter” was filmed in Orange by the Circle! You can even see O’Hara’s Pub in the background of a shot. I hear a different answer every time these two are mentioned on which is the best, but you will just have to watch both to decide for yourself.
I am no “Purge” film connoisseur, but in my opinion, this is the best of the “Purge” movies and I will not argue with you. In this film, Sergeant Barnes — who was also in the series’ previous installment, “The Purge: Anarchy” — becomes the head of security for Charlie Roan, a presidential candidate who is targeted on Purge night because of her vow to get rid of the Purge in office. A lot of people in the United States right now have a lot of bottled-up anger that they want to take out — violence is not the answer, but watching it in a film may be!
“NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS”
I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t mention Nicolas Cage. Every time I go to AMC Orange 30, I fangirl over the giant photo of him in one of the hallways. “National Treasure” is one of my top 10 favorite films of all time. The sequel to that film reunites our core protagonists: Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage), Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) and Riley Pool (Justin Bartha). They must use clues in the pages of John Wilkes Booth’s diary to prove that Gates’ ancestor is innocent in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. What an insane concept for a film. Bruce Greenwood plays the president of the United States — who is temporarily kidnapped by Gates in the secret tunnels under Mount Vernon. This film will make you hopeful that your U.S. president knows any U.S. history.
It makes me giggle every time I think about this film, so I am adding this here as a joke. “The Beekeeper” has made me a Jason Statham fan. It follows a man named Adam Clay (Statham) when someone close to him is scammed out of a lot of money. What this scamming company and the people it funds don’t know is that Clay was an agent in a classified program called the Beekeepers, and now he has gone rogue. He will do anything for justice. No one can TOUCH Statham in this movie, he is so badass. The reason it is on this list is because through events I will not spoil, female President of the United States Jessica Danforth becomes involved. I love women, but damn is this one a menace to watch.
“ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER”
Do you ever wonder how some movies get made? Why do we try to rewrite history so terribly for our entertainment? Why? Because it is hilarious. “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” tells an alternate version of American history where Lincoln’s mother dies from being bitten by a vampire when he was a child. For the rest of his life all the way into his presidency, he makes it his duty to fight against the undead. It boggles my mind that there was a team of people who read this script and were like, “Absolutely yes, this is what Hollywood needs in 2012.” Maybe it is exactly what we need right now.
This movie may hit too close to home right now. This film follows charming Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (George Clooney) and his press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). Meyers believes in his candidate’s integrity, but a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) sets in motion events that threaten Morris’ election chances. While it wasn’t my favorite film at the time of my watching, my goodness am I itching from the inside out thinking about it right now. I am not sure this is going to help with any anxieties, but the one good thing about President Morris in this film is that he was running on redistribution of wealth and anti-imperialism!? Right!?
I could recommend you a more accurate political show like “The West Wing” with a good Democratic president like Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), but what fun would that be? Instead, I give you Republican President Fitzgerald Grant played by Tony Goldwyn. This man may be one of the worst presidents in the history of fake presidents. He never really does anything wrong politically, mostly because he is never doing any actual political work saving the free world. All he does for seven seasons of television is yearn for his past media consultant and mistress Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington. Shonda Rhimes should be given a blank check for anything she wants to make — she is a genius and knows how to make a sexy drama.
I am finally making my way through the iconic comedy show “Veep.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer, vice president of the United States, and the series follows her dysfunctional relationships with staff and other politicians as they put out insane political fires. Seven seasons of some of the best comedy I have ever watched. While it is an ensemble show, Dreyfus is the star. She has six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award wins for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Meyer. From watching real-life embarrassing political events like the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, scenarios that happen in “Veep” are not very far off!
Next time you feel overwhelmed about the current state of U.S. politics, grab some popcorn, find a comfy spot on the couch and hope one of these films takes you to a place where politics feel a little more comforting and a little less scary.