Rating: 
Summary: What a Great Movie. . .
Review: Fun yet serious romantic comedy. . . Douglas is great. Benning is cunning, captivating, and beautiful. Martin Sheen is great in his supporting role. Michael J. Fox is always a plus in a movie.The movie is about president who lost his wife, who falls for a environmental lobbyist. The struggle comes from Richard Dryfus's character "Bob Rumpsfeld" (bad nomanclature). He finds out that this woman is an extreme left lobbyist. He uses this to throw stones at the president, who he is trying to defeat in the coming election. The presidential staff characters are wonderfully acted and fun to watch. The interaction in the staff is Golden. People should look at this movie as a movie, not a political statement. Of course the movie has liberal themes. When a filmmaker makes a movie, the audience is what he/she is working to please. It is hard to romanticize a conservative agenda. This movie's target audience is women(Even thought I love it). Do you think a woman is going to want a watch a romantic dramedy with a central theme of business, welfare reform, or maybe even limiting awards in malpractice suits? NO, of course not. I am a conservative, and I don't want to watch a romanitic comedy about my agenda. Two things that are heart felt issues on both sides of the isle are the environment and gun control. They use these issues because they are common and good plot points, and are easily dramatized. They are not the central theme of the movie. Overall, the movie is quality. It is a movie that I never get tired of watching.
Rating:
Summary: I never get tired of watching this great movie
Review: "The American President" is a terrific movie about politics, romance, sex, and real life. Michael Douglas leads a terrific cast of characters that I love to hear talk to each other over and over again. I've seen this movie so many times, I nearly have it memorized. President Andy Sheppard (Douglas) is having problems pushing his crime bill through Congress, but those problems intensify when he finds himself falling for the beautiful environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). The press is all over them from every angle, and Sheppard's 63% approval rating is dropping like a rock. The romance in this story is sweet, but it takes second place to the witty dialogue written by "Sports Night" creator Aaron Sorkin, which makes every character equally enjoyable. Martin Sheen should have won an Oscar for his performance as White House Chief of Staff A.J. Mackinerny, and Michael J. Fox is terrific as Louis Rothchild, who delivers a great speech in the film. The two leads, Douglas and Bening, are great together, and for every moment they are on the screen together, we forget that we're watching a movie. Rob Reiner does a terrific directing job, and turns out a movie that surpasses "When Harry Met Sally."
Rating: 
Summary: Funny politics
Review: The plot has been posted elsewhere, so I won't. What I find humorous (besides the movie) are the comments about it been "too" political, or having a "leftist/liberal/(fill in the blank) viewpoint. Any movie set in the White House involving presidential activities will have to have some viewpoint. Not even documentaries are unbiased. The fact that "gun control" and an "environment" bill are two of the issues seems logical from a director who got a fifty-cent tax put on cigarette sales. Back to the movie. Funny and well-acted by all. Highly recommended. I seem to like Rob Reiner movies (Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me, The Sure Thing). DVD has minimal extras. Sound and picture were OK on my copy. I am a fan, and this is my review.
Rating:
Summary: Becomes More Unbelievable With Each Passing Year
Review: The more time that passes since American President was made, the more fantasy-like the movie seems. You really have to suspend disbelief to accept what is going on. But if you can, it's a terrific romantic comedy. Annette Bening and Michael Douglas are just right in their portrayals (quite an accomplishment, since both are better known for their less-sympathetic characters), and the supporting cast is also excellent (although you might think at first that you have tuned into a TV sitcom). They never explained how the President's wife died, but apparently it was right before the election and he won the "sympathy vote" by being a grieving widower. Not too grief-stricken to keep campaigning, I guess. The teenage daughter is very supportive in her father's romance, another stretch of the imagination. The gun control and emission control legislation are also rather far-fetched ideas these days. So, treat this as a complete fantasy and enjoy good acting and a happy story about an unlikely romance.
Rating:
Summary: An American Romance
Review: This is such a cute movie! It is one of my favorite ones and I don't even like romance all that much. I really like the characters. They all go so well with each other and it's very funny.
Rating:
Summary: Funny politics
Review: The plot has been posted elsewhere, so I won't. What I find humorous (besides the movie) are the comments about it been "too" political, or having a "leftist/liberal/(fill in the blank) viewpoint. Any movie set in the White House involving presidential activities will have to have some viewpoint. Not even documentaries are unbiased. The fact that "gun control" and an "environment" bill are two of the issues seems logical from a director who got a fifty-cent tax put on cigarette sales. Back to the movie. Funny and well-acted by all. Highly recommended. I seem to like Rob Reiner movies (Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me, The Sure Thing). DVD has minimal extras. Sound and picture were OK on my copy. I am a fan, and this is my review.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Romantic
Review: This is one of my favorite movies. Michael Douglas and Annette Benning are charming together. Not only a love story, but a political insight that rings true.
Rating:
Summary: Cinematic Brilliance
Review: This is one of the best movies ever made. As President, Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is immensely popular. As a man, he's a lonely father struggling to raise a daughter. His struggles multiply when his romance with lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) becomes fodder for both the press and a rival senator (Richard Dreyfuss)precipitating a rapid drop in the polls. His last speech rings true; besides his views that favor obviously to the left of the political spectrum, he makes honest comments about how politicians win elections and how that affects their ability to do their job.
Rating:
Summary: Charming, Sweet, Funny, Serious. Just A GOOD Film!
Review: Rob Reiner's 1995 film, "The American President", is one of my favorite movies. Michael Douglas' realistic portrayal of the title character [President Andrew Shepherd] is a refreshingly-different change for Mr. Douglas, from his earlier rather--shall we say--steamy roles in "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "Basic Instinct" (1992), and "Disclosure" (1994). Annette Bening also shines brightly here--as Douglas' love interest. Written by "The West Wing's" Aaron Sorkin, it's nearly impossible to watch this movie today and not notice the similarities between Sorkin's work on the film and the excellent NBC-TV program it spawned. Several of the actors in the film went on to star in the TV series as well, including Martin Sheen, Joshua Malina, and Anna Deavere Smith. Mr. Sorkin is one heck of a writer. And he wrote an impressive movie in "The American President". Unfortunately, there's no "Making Of" type of materials included on the DVD. We get a trailer for the film, plus some production and bio (text) notes, but nothing more in the way of bonuses. (Perhaps a "Special Edition" DVD Edition will some day surface. That'd be sweet indeed.) While it's certainly true that the picture quality on this non-anamorphic Warner Brothers DVD-Video is far from being perfect....I still think it's in a highly-watchable condition. Sure, we get the usual amount of "jaggies" and blurred images of stuff in the background inherent to an image that's not been enhanced for 16x9 televisions. But I don't really think it's the worst DVD transfer ever to come along either. Of course, mileage will vary. Everyone has their own definition of "bad". The soundtrack, on the other hand, seems quite robust and nice. There's a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track on this disc. "The American President" is presented here in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. I've seen information elsewhere that claims this DVD presents the movie in a 1.85:1 ratio, which is inaccurate. So don't be fooled, it's definitely shown here in its full w-i-d-e "scope" ratio of 2.35:1. This is a fresh, funny, smart, sassy, intelligent film, no matter if it's your first time seeing it, or your hundreth. Despite a less-than-stellar video transfer, I'd still recommend every DVD collector pick this baby up right now! "You think there's an assassin waiting in the flower shop just in the off-chance I might be stopping by?" -- President Shepherd LOL! *wink*
Rating: 
Summary: Bad DVD Transfer Ruins This Film
Review: I have over 150 DVDs in my collection. This film, which is one of my Wife's favorite films, has been ruined by a bad transfer to DVD. This release is the worst DVD transfer of any film in my collection. Warner Home Video should be ashamed of themselves and re-call this DVD. There is no doubt that a re-mastered edition of this movie will someday become available. Don't waste your money on this edition.
| 
