The American President

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Michael Douglas	President Andrew Shepherd
Annette Bening	Sydney Ellen Wade
Martin Sheen	A.J. MacInerney
Michael J. Fox	Lewis Rothschild
Anna Deavere Smith	Robin McCall
Samantha Mathis	Janie Basdin
Shawna Waldron	Lucy Shepherd
David Paymer	Leon Kodak
Anne Haney	Mrs. Chapil
Richard Dreyfuss	Senator Bob Rumson
Nina Siemaszko	Beth Wade
Wendie Malick	Susan Sloan
Beau Billingslea	Agent Cooper
Gail Strickland	Esther MacInerney
Joshua Malina	David

Director	Rob Reiner
Producer	Rob Reiner
Writer	Aaron Sorkin

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 fulfilment 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, TheAmerican 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