ELECTION MOVIES To Watch

– By We Are Movie Geeks Staff –

Our long election season is finally coming to an end, and all that remains is to vote. And watch an election-themed movie!

Going through the list of movies about elections, the Movie Geeks found a lot more negative than positive ones, and more movies about manipulative people behind the candidate than inspiring candidates. While there is a lot of biting social commentary and satire, there are a few light and silly election movies too. So top cap off election season, here are a dozen election and political movies.

Don’t forget to vote!

THE CAMPAIGN

Jay Roach, director of the true story political HBO films “Recount” and “Game Change”, goes for the big laughs in this farce about a lazy, scandal-ridden incumbent congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) who faces off against a bumbling, naive altruistic Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis). This comic gem captures all the election craziness, from mud-slinging negative TV spots to the behind-the-scenes dealings of a pair of big money backers (played by comedy vets John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd).

ELECTION (1999)

Cut throat political campaigning is expertly spoofed in director Alexander Payne’s look at the battle for student council president at a small Nebraska high school. “America’s sweetheart” Reese Witherspoon delivers a remarkable performance playing against type as the movie’s memorable villain Tracy Flick, an overachiever who will succeed despite the efforts of civic teacher and faculty council liaison Jim McAllister (the wonderful Matthew Broderick in full middle-age meltdown mode). Scathing satire is rarely this hilarious.

NO (2012)

This is one of the positive films on the list, and a great underdog tale. NO is based on the true story of the campaign to defeat brutal Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1988 during a referendum on his rule. The dictator thought holding a referendum would be no problem, because he would make sure people would be too afraid to vote against him. Even the political opposition thinks the vote will be an empty gesture, but an ad executive (Gael Garcia Bernal), brought in to run the opposition campaign, upsets everyone’s expectations with a clever, unexpected campaign that flips the tables. Sure, you have to read subtitles for this Spanish-language film but this surprising, often funny, inspiring true-story film is well worth the effort.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)

The inspiring classic American film about a naive, honest politician (James Stewart) battling a jaded, corrupt Senator (Claude Rains) and the big money types who have him in their pocket. Director Frank Capra at his best, and one of the great classics of American cinema.

WAG THE DOG (1997)

Dustin Hoffman plays a Hollywood movie producer hired to create a fake war to distract the public from a political scandal, in this biting satire. The scandal suggests Bill Clinton, who was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky mess and was accused of trying to distract the public by drawing attention to growing terrorist threats.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)

A movie that best shows what journalism’s role is supposed to be in a democracy: to keep an eye on those in power. The film dramatizes the work of reporters Woodard and Bernstein (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) on the Watergate scandal. Back when newspapers had the budgets to do investigative journalism, two reporters uncover the election shenanigans of a sitting president, which eventually brought him down. The ultimate example of how journalism is supposed to work and of the good guys winning.

IDES OF MARCH (2011)

One of the darker films on this list, IDES OF MARCH focuses on an idealistic campaign staffer (Ryan Gosling) working to elect a promising Presidential candidate (George Clooney) and getting schooled in dirty dealing by another campaign pro (Paul Giamatti). Shines a spotlight on the world of hired-gun campaign professionals where winning is all that matters.

THE CANDIDATE (1972)

A handsome but clueless political candidate (Robert Redford) puts himself in the hands of a team of election pros, who craft his every word and action to get him elected, in this biting dark comedy, a scenario that became a bit too true in subsequent decades.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

The best thriller on this list. Director John Frankenheimer’s Cold War suspense film features Chinese brainwashing, an ex-soldier (Laurence Harvey) programmed to become an assassin at the turn of a card, a Joe McCarthy-like politician and his scheming wife (a very scary Angela Lansbury), who happens to be the mother of the programmed assassin. Frank Sinatra plays the ordinary guy trying to figure it all out before it is too late. The action comes together in a harrowing scene at a political convention. It was remade in 2004 but the original is the best.

FACE IN THE CROWD (1957)

A folksy entertainer (Andy Griffith) seeks to use his enormous popularity to transform himself into a political kingmaker. Director Elia Kazan’s gripping drama has the darkest performance ever from Griffith, and powerful acting by Patricia Neal as the media pro who makes this monster and then falls for him.

RECOUNT (2008)

An HBO TV movie dramatization of the 2000 Bush-Gore election debacle, with Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary as Democratic staffers dispatched to Florida to figure out what is going on.

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004)

Let’s end on a light note. In this silly, likable comedy, a high school outsider (Jon Heder) decides to help his best friend (Efren Ramirez) run for class president, and launches a real-life fad that has the whole country sporting Vote for Pedro buttons and tee shirts. This indie film was a surprise hit that won many hearts, and maybe the most positive election movie on this list, along with the true-story NO.