The Contender (2000)

Senator Laine Hanson is a contender for U.S. Vice President, but information and disinformation about her past surfaces that threatens to derail her confirmation.

Director:

Rod Lurie

Writer:

Rod Lurie

Stars:

Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Oldman	...	Shelly Runyon
Joan Allen	...	Laine Hanson
Jeff Bridges	...	President Jackson Evans
Christian Slater	...	Reginald Webster
Sam Elliott	...	Kermit Newman
William Petersen	...	Jack Hathaway
Saul Rubinek	...	Jerry Tolliver
Philip Baker Hall	...	Oscar Billings
Mike Binder	...	Lewis Hollis
Robin Thomas	...	William Hanson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Cynthia Charlton Lee
Kathryn Morris	...	Paige Willomina
Kristen Shaw	...	Fiona Hathaway
Douglas Urbanski	...	Makerowitz
Noah Fryrear	...	Timmy

Storyline

A political thriller about Laine Hanson, a Senator who is nominated to become Vice President following the death of the previous office holder. During the confirmation process, Laine is the victim of a vicious attack on her personal life in which stories of sexual deviancy are spread. She is torn as to whether she should fight back, or stick to her high principles and refuse to comment on the allegations.

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Plot Keywords:

larry king character | president | vice president | governor | bridge | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Country:

USA Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

La conspiración

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,363,900, 15 October 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,872,723

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,361,811

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG, Cinecontender, Battleground Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Every time President Evans calls a meeting (formal or informal) he is either eating or orders food to be eaten.

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Goofs

In the yacht scene, a close-up of the President's West Point Ring can be seen. This reveals the Academy Crest facing away from the heart (as if saluting). Upon Graduation from West Point, graduates face the Class Crest away from the heart and the Academy Crest towards the heart.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Hathaway: Well, I bet you've been getting a lot of Churchills. Probably Mandela. Some DeGaulles. But I'd have to go with Anwar Sadat.

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Crazy Credits

For our daughters

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Connections

References The Big Lebowski (1998)

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Soundtracks

Polonaise Op. 26, No 1
Composed by Frédéric Chopin (as F.Chopin)
Performed by Bruce Donnelly, Pianist

User Reviews

One of the worst and most manipulative political movies one will ever see

I looked forward to seeing this movie because I admire the work of Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliott, Gary Oldman and Joan Allen. After seeing this film, I hoped they had been paid well. It certainly did not showcase their talent.

The Contender has no characters, just caricatures - no script, but cliché piled on top of cliché - no plot, just a two-hour harangue filled with every bumper-sticker political slogan imaginable. If it was meant to be an intelligent criticism of the state of American politics, it actually fell below the actual state of American politics (if such a thought is even conceivable).

Contemporary screenplays provide more than ample evidence of the general poverty of writing in Hollywood, but The Contender has to rank as one of the worst political screenplays ever. Every politician is a cynical and amoral SOB and though I may tend to agree with the characterization, it would have been useful to have someone show some small degree of integrity. Of course, Ms. Allen is Ms. Integrity through and through - she seems consistently honest, though one marvels at the superficiality of her political philosophy and the motivation for her behavior.

At the conclusion of the film, the director informs us that he made the movie "for our daughters". If I wanted my daughter to enter politics, live a life of personal integrity, and actually do something positive for this country, this would be the last film I would recommend to her.