Originally, actor Robert Redford approached a number of screenwriters with the single-line premise, "the president elopes." His election seems assured. Use the HTML below. [11], An extensive White House set, of both the East and West Wings, was built on the Castle Rock Entertainment lot in Culver City. More significant is the issue of a "proportional response" to military attacks on American assets abroad. For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being President of this country was, to a certain extent, about character. Instead, they are chosen by "electors" through an "Electoral College". A live action production of the courtroom drama that Aaron Sorkin originally wrote, which premiered on Broadway in 1989. The median age of U.S. presidents when taking office is 55 years and 3 months. The film grossed $10 million in its opening weekend (finishing third), $9.7 million in its second weekend, and $5.3 million in its third (finishing sixth both times). Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss. "The American President" (1995) President Andrew Shepherd's Press Conference on Bob Rumson and the Crime Bill. With the President of France about to arrive in the United States to attend a state dinner in his honor, Shepherd – widowed when his wife died of cancer three years earlier – is placed in an awkward predicament when his cousin Judith, with whom he had planned to attend the dinner, gets sick. In The American President: A Complete History, historian Kathryn Moore presents a riveting narrative of each president's experiences in and out of office, along with illuminating facts and statistics about each administration, timelines of national and world events, astonishing trivia, and more. He's a widower with a young daughter and has proved to be popular with the public. On the morning that he is to deliver his State of the Union Address, and after an argument with A.J. A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to finally bring a white racist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader. While he tries to politically justify his actions by defending the crime bill as his top priority, she rebuffs him for expending too much political capital on a weakly-worded bill with little chance of preventing crime. Michael Douglas is the widower President wooing environmental lobbyist Annette Bening in this romantic hit by Rob Reiner. 13. She visits the White House to break up with Shepherd and says that she has a job possibility in Hartford, Connecticut. The film ends with Shepherd handing Wade a bouquet of roses and dogwoods (the state flower of her native Virginia), and entering the House chamber to thunderous applause. Academy Award-winner MICHAEL DOUGLAS ("Traffic," "Wonder Boys") is the widowed president of the United States, whose budding romance with environmental lobbyist ANNETTE BENING ("American Beauty," "Mars Attacks!") And I'm not leaving till I get her back. Richert claimed Sorkin's screenplay was a thinly veiled plagiarism of Richert's 1981 screenplay The President Elopes. During the State dinner and subsequent occasions, the couple fall in love. Old Executive Office Building, 1650 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA. 75 on its list of America's Greatest Love Stories.[8]. This FAQ is empty. The (North) American President, El Presidente Estadounidense, begins with incumbent Andrew 'Andy' Shepherd basking in a high approval rating and gearing up to win a second term in office. A widowed U.S. President running for reelection and an environmental lobbyist fall in love. Madison as president and the War of 1812; The Indian-American problem; The United States from 1816 to 1850. The film's influence can be seen most clearly in early episodes of the series; some dialogue in the two are nearly identical. Josh and Amy are dating when this takes place, just as the main characters are here. With the end of his first term in sight, widowed U.S. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) knows that overwhelming public support will guarantee his re-election. ... Andrew Shepherd. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. "[9] However, Wade enters the Oval Office before he can leave. His relationship with Wade opens the door for his prime political opponent, Senator Bob Rumson, to launch an attack on the President's character, something he could not do in the previous election as Shepherd's wife had only recently died. It received praise and "Two Thumbs Up" from Siskel and Ebert who were surprised by how good the film was considering Rob Reiner's previous film, North, was both of their selections for the worst movie of the year. It is innocent yet powerful. Unlike in many other countries, the US president and vice president are not directly elected by citizens. The American President Did this review miss something on diversity? Ben and Katie Jordan are a married couple who go through hard times in fifteen years of marriage. An uncanny Presidential lookalike named Dave is recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States. George Washington, America's first president, is the only one not to belong to a political party. Richert also claimed that the television series The West Wing was derived from part of the same screenplay. The American President View production, box office, & company info. For the government office, see, Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, Secretary to the President of the United States, https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/American-President-The#tab=summary, "1996 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences", "Past Winners Database: 1995 68th Academy Awards", "The 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1996)", "Past Winners Database: 1995 53rd Golden Globe Awards", "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT - Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin", "Aaron Sorkin: I Was 'Crack' Screenwriter", "Oval Offices, by Way of Hollywood - The New York Times", "Hollywood Finds a Presidential Role Model,", "Veteran Actor-Director William Richert's Internet Crusades", "20 The West Wing facts on its 20th anniversary", "My name is Anthony Albanese and I plagiarised The American President movie script", "President Obama Is No Bully in the Pulpit - The New York Times", "President Obama's White House Correspondents' Dinner speech: full transcript", "Ted Cruz quotes 'The American President' in comeback to Donald Trump", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_American_President&oldid=1014620933, Films about fictional presidents of the United States, Articles with dead external links from November 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, John Mahon as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, This page was last edited on 28 March 2021, at 04:35. At this meeting, Shepherd strikes a deal with Wade: if she can secure 24 votes for the environmental bill by the date of the State of the Union, he will deliver the last 10 votes. This was exactly the age of 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson when he was first inaugurated onboard board Air Force One on November 22, 1963, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 55 of 90 people found this review helpful. Casey McCall and Dan Rydell are sports anchors and best friends. Looking for more? Andrew Shepherd is approaching the end of his first term as President of the United States. The 10 Best Aaron Sorkin Projects, According To IMDb, Grey's Anatomy: 10 Fan-Ship Relationships We Wish Were Real, 2021 Golden Globes: ‘Nomadland’ wins Best Picture, while Andra Day and Rosamund Pike achieve Best Actress upsets, 20 pleasantly surprising entries in Gene Siskel's annual Top 10, WatchMojo: Top 10 Fictional Movie Presidents. The American President - President Andrew Shepherd's Press Conference. The film stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. MacInerney, attempt to consolidate the administration's 63% approval rating by passing a moderate crime control bill. He muses for a single line "Someday, someone's gonna have to explain to me the virtue of a proportional response", before giving the order. Check out our editors' picks for the best movies and shows coming your way in May. Since January, President Biden and Vice President Harris have put forward a purely radical explosion of ideas and policies that fundamentally break with our American tradition. Michael Douglas. She concludes, "Mr. President, you got bigger problems than losing me. Effects of the War of 1812; National disunity; The economy. Written by During their first meeting, Shepherd and Wade are immediately intrigued by each other. Sorkin, on the basis of his treatment, was selected by Redford to write the screenplay with Redford attached to star. In The American President, Sydney Ellen Wade is ultimately fired from her lobbyist position because the president has brokered a deal that causes her legislative effort to fail. Lyndon B. Johnson aligns himself with John F. Kennedy, rises to the Presidency, and deals with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. Several actors from The American President reappear in The West Wing, including Martin Sheen (whose character in The American President, A.J., is at one point accused by Shepherd of lacking the courage to run for office himself) as President Josiah Bartlet, Anna Deavere Smith as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally, Joshua Malina as White House Communications Director Will Bailey, Nina Siemaszko as Ellie Bartlet, Ron Canada as Under Secretary of State Theodore Barrow, and Thom Barry as Congressman Mark Richardson. "[10], In later interviews, writer Aaron Sorkin told TV Guide he wrote the screenplay while high on crack cocaine. 1845. Tracy teaches art, Andy's a college dean. The American President includes mention of a Governor Stackhouse, while there is a Minnesota senator Howard Stackhouse (George Coe) in the two West Wing episodes "The Stackhouse Filibuster" and "The Red Mass". He believes Wade will not be able to get enough votes to meet her side of the deal, thus releasing Shepherd from responsibility if the bill fails to pass. Agencies. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Check out the full list of winners. Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive, … At the White House Christmas Party, Wade is dejected about her meeting that day with three Congressmen from Michigan about the environmental bill and how it was a dismal failure; in the process, she inadvertently mentions to the President and A.J. are conflicted by this information both by how they learned it and because it reveals that their crime bill is in jeopardy. In both cases, the President chooses a military response that is relatively measured, but in the movie President Shepherd never considers a "disproportionate" response while President Bartlet plans such an action to destroy a large civilian airport in Syria; he eventually gives the green light for a strike similar to the one used in the movie. the previous evening, Shepherd makes a surprise appearance in the White House press room and rebukes Rumson's attacks on his values and character, as well as his relentless innuendos that Wade prostituted herself for political favors. American presidents hold the most powerful office on earth and occupy a unique place at the center of national and world events. In the same way, the French President attending a state dinner in The American President seems to be the same President d'Astier that is often referred to in the West Wing. The couple reconcile and the President, accompanied by Wade, leaves to give his State of the Union Address. Shepherd and A.J. "The American President," directed by Rob Reiner, isn't reality, of course. Education and the role of women; Wealth "The American President" isn't too squeaky-clean to find Sydney eventually sleeping in the White House (and mingling awkwardly with Andrew's staff during an especially funny 5 A.M. scene). Andrew Shepherd is approaching the end of his first term as President of the United States. [23], The film is recognized by the American Film Institute as #75 in its 2002 list of 100 Years...100 Passions. The first is a reliance upon a series of big lie campaigns. The Global Defense Council, the fictional environmental lobby where Sydney Wade worked, is also featured in the West Wing episode called "The Drop-In", and is often referred to in other episodes. 1850. See the fabulous presenters and gracious winners at this year's Oscars. The American President is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. 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