In the wake of U.S. President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal, it seems unlikely that a popular president who is a widower would plummet in the approval polls if he started to date three years after his wife’s death. In The American President, a highly likeable but grossly naive romantic comedy, this is just the beginning of the implausibilities.
It’s the story of President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) and political operative Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Shepherd is popular but lonely. Wade is an environmental lobbyist who’s single and in the right place at the right time. In the most unlikely of places (at least until Bill Clinton redefined the functions of the White House), a romance is born. Despite the omnipresent White House staffers and secret service agents, Shepherd is adamant that he’s going to connect with the perky, assertive and likeable Wade. In the spirit of all good romantic comedies, Shepherd and Wade try to overcome the obstacles and find true love – even when politics makes it difficult.
The American President isn’t just a romantic comedy with a political twist, it’s also a U.S. liberal’s wet dream. Director Rob Reiner and his crew got access to the real White House to conduct research. The result is a film that looks very real, although its political themes are the stuff of an era that never really existed. Shepherd is fighting for greenhouse gas reductions and gun control. He’s pushing for everything Reiner and a cast of political liberals would love to see happen in the real world. While the film attempts to use Washington’s political give and take to build the film’s conflict, it still comes off as hopelessly unrealistic.
Does the film’s unabashed liberalism or its naïveté make it unsuccessful? Not necessarily. Those who dislike the film’s politics might have difficulty stomaching the romance. And those whose cynicism has been fuelled by a long history of less-than-lily-white Washington politics might have trouble putting up with its idealism. But at its core, this is simply a formulaic romantic comedy plunked down in a unique and interesting environment.
Michael Douglas is plausible as president, and he delivers yet another solid, if unmemorable performance. Bening is better as Wade. Her charisma shines through and she’s infinitely more fun to root for. Martin Sheen and Michael J. Fox lead a strong supporting cast of White House staff members. They give the film much needed credibility.
