Bill Pullman, aka President Whitmore from Independence Day, reveals what the movie studio wanted to call the film.
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Title: The Contender (2000)
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| 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 |
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. Written by Ted Johnson
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This may not be the greatest White House movie thriller ever - as its makers claim - but it is probably the most politically explicit. Gone are the days of Advise and Consent, when the opposing parties were simply referred to as the "majority" and "minority", and the movie aimed at non-partisan neutrality . Here, the administration is Democrat, and the film proudly wears its liberal heart on its sleeve. And the movie is all the better for this clarity and honesty.
Jeff Bridges is well cast as Jackson Evans, a President every bit as charismatic and opportunistic as Bill Clinton. Indeed, the whole movie can be seen as a take on the Monica Lewinsky saga, highlighting the manipulation and hypocrisy displayed on all sides at that time. (One mistake in the script is a direct reference to the Clinton impeachment vote; it is dangerous for parodies or satires to refer to the true stories on which they are based - it leads to a dislocation in the audience's point of view, and in this case to the awkward question - if this is a post-Clinton Democrat President, and he's coming to the end of his second term, in just what year is the action supposed to be taking place?!)
Given the White House shenanigans in recent years, it is surprising that some IMDb commenters should question the plausibility of the plot, which I feel stretches our credulity no further than most Hollywood thrillers. Joan Allen as vice-Presidential nominee Laine Hanson, and Gary Oldman as Shelly Runyon, her would-be character assassin, have strong parts and make the most of them - though personally I think it is Bridges' movie - but there is perhaps a little too much of Christian Slater in a curious role as Reginald Webster, a young, liberal, but seemingly anti-feminist, Democrat Congressman. The director, Rod Lurie, seems unable to make up his mind whether Webster should be portrayed as an overly-naive idealist, or an ambitious cynic with his eye on the main chance.
Overall, this is a fast-moving, enjoyable film, making the points that petty personal indiscretions should have little influence when it comes to power politics, and that it's about time the USA had a woman as President or at least a heart beat away.