Amazon.com Essentials:
What sounds like the high-concept romantic comedy pitch from hell--widower
president falls for smart lobbyist while the world watches--is actually
intelligent, charming, touching, and quite funny. Granted, it's
wish fulfillment all the way (when was the last time you saw a president
who was truly presidential?), but in the capable hands of writer
Aaron Sorkin (TV's Sports Night) and director Rob Reiner, The
American President is incredibly enjoyable entertainment with quite a
few ideas about both romance and the government. Michael
Douglas stars as the president, who after three years in office starts
thinking about the possibility of dating. When he auspiciously encounters
cutthroat environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), sparks
begin to crackle and the two begin a tentative but heartfelt romance. Of
course, his job gets in the way--their first kiss is interrupted by a
Libyan bombing--but darn it if these two kids aren't going to try and make
it work! However, they hadn't counted on the president's Republican
antagonist (Richard Dreyfuss), who starts carping about family values. The
predictable plot--Douglas finally goes to bat for his lady and his
country--is leavened by Sorkin's wonderful, snappy dialogue and a light
touch from the usually subtle-as-a-sledgehammer Reiner. Both manage to create a
believable White House-office atmosphere (with a crack staff including
Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith, and Samantha Mathis) as
well as a plausible and funny dating scenario. The true success of the
movie, though, rides squarely on Douglas and Bening; this is unequivocally Douglas's best comedic performance
(ergo his best performance, period) and Bening, usually such a good bad
girl, takes a standard career-woman role and fleshes it out magnificently. You can see in an instant why Douglas would fall for her. One of the best
unsung romantic comedies of the '90s. --Mark Englehart
Amazon.com Essentials:
What sounds like a high-concept romantic comedy pitch from hell--widower
president falls for smart lobbyist while the world watches--is actually
intelligent, charming, touching, and quite funny. Granted, it's
wish fulfillment all the way (when was the last time you saw a president
who was truly presidential?), but in the capable hands of writer
Aaron Sorkin (TV's Sports Night) and director Rob Reiner, The
American President is incredibly enjoyable entertainment with quite a
few ideas about both romance and the government. Michael
Douglas stars as the president, who after three years in office starts
thinking about the possibility of dating. When he auspiciously encounters
cutthroat environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), sparks
begin to crackle and the two begin a tentative but heartfelt romance. Of
course, his job gets in the way--their first kiss is interrupted by a
Libyan bombing--but darn it if these two kids aren't going to try and make
it work! However, they hadn't counted on the president's Republican
antagonist (Richard Dreyfuss), who starts carping about family values. The
predictable plot--Douglas finally goes to bat for his lady and his
country--is leavened by Sorkin's wonderful, snappy dialogue and a light
touch from the usually subtle-as-a-sledgehammer Reiner. Both manage to create a
believable White House-office atmosphere (with a crack staff including
Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith, and Samantha Mathis) as
well as a plausible and funny dating scenario. The true success of the
movie, though, rides squarely on Douglas and Bening; this is unequivocally Douglas's best comedic performance
(ergo his best performance, period) and Bening, usually such a good bad
girl, takes a standard career-woman role and fleshes it out magnificently. You can see in an instant why Douglas would fall for her. One of the best
unsung romantic comedies of the '90s. --Mark Englehart
