Come celebrate President’s Day with me by reading my list of presidential films you should consider checking out. Tell me if you agree with my choices and what films I may have missed. This is 6 of My Favorite Presidential Movies

Dave (1993) 

What If you looked exactly like the President of the United States?  What if he realized it, and asked you to stand in for him and then he suffers a catastrophic stroke?  Sounds ridiculous, but hey it could happen and we would never know.  This film takes a look at an average joe assuming the office of the President and he actually uses the opportunity to improve the country and maybe even find true love.  This film is a lot of fun because it isn’t all politics, it’s a little bit romance and a little bit comedy but it shows the lighter side of the presidency.

 

Air Force One (1997)
Okay, forget for one second that I get an instant erection when a Tom Clancy movie comes on.  This is a great movie.  And Harrison Ford plays the Prez and a major bad-ass.  Let’s say you’re the president and you’re strolling along on Air Force One when suddenly terrorists start a hijacking.  You’d probably run for cover, or hop in the escape pod; I know I would.  But not Harrison, oh no.  Harrison decides to stay onboard and proceed to take out the terrorists one by one in a Die Hard fashion.  Any other movies depict the President as an action hero? I think not.

 

All The President’s Men (1976)

Ok, so this one never actually shows an actor playing the President.  BUT, it has the word “President” in the title, so that counts, right? RIGHT? This film chronicles the legendary Woodward and Bernstein as they unravel the mystery of Watergate.  This film is a great depiction of the role the media plays in politics and the way two relatively insignificant people can shake the very bedrock of our nation and ultimately lead to the only Presidential resignation.  The movie stays fairly accurate to the actual events and turns a somewhat dry subject into a story of intrigue.

 

Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (1964)

A high-ranking general goes rogue and launches a first strike against the Soviet Union, right in the midst of the Cold War, it’s up to the president and his trusted advisors to stave off disaster.  Is President Merkin Muffley the right man for the job? In a word, no.  For starters, both his first and last name are references to female pubic hair, but more than that; he has no control over anything, even in the situation room.  This is an amazing film (in fact, it’s listed in my bio as one of my all-time favs) because it manages to be not only hysterical but at the same time deeply disturbing. 

 

Absolute Power (1997)

Just how much can the President get away with? This film aims to find out.  When a jewel thief witnesses the President’s mistress being murdered by the Secret Service, he is compelled to bring the POTUS to justice.  This film shows the dark side of the presidency.  Not only is the President having an affair and covering up a murder, he is actively hiring hitmen to kill the only witness to his crime.  This film was a box office flop but overall is not a bad watch, in fact use President’s Day as an excuse and watch it now.

 

My Fellow Americans (1996) 

Think Grumpy Old Men except the grumpy old men are actually grumpy old ex-presidents.  This film is a comedic look at feuding politicians both having been in the White House and both looking to get back into it.  It’s a little more complicated than that since there’s a bit of subterfuge around some defense contracts and it’s up to our ex-presidents to get to the bottom of it.  Along the process they get an eye-opening look into what effect they had on the country and on each other.  This is an amusing film and definitely one of the more underrated presidential movies.