The Queue: 5 Election Season Movies to Stream This Weekend
The 2016 election cycle officially kicks off on Monday with that bizarre specimen of American democracy known as the Iowa caucuses. To get in the spirit of things, this edition of The Queue presents five political and election-themed movies you can get via subscription streaming at Netflix and Amazon — or completely free at the Internet Archive. Digital distribution plus democracy equals good times for everyone. America! What a country!
Election
The 1999 comedy Election is President Obama’s favorite political movie, according to director Alexander Payne, and it’s easy to see why. Starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, Election is a ferocious satire of the political process, set in a suburban American high school. Witherspoon plays sunny and possibly psychotic overachiever Tracy Flick, who will do anything to win the post of class president. Broderick is the teacher out to stop her at any cost.
Holy moly, this movie is funny. Witherspoon is an ace comic actress and Broderick is, of course, an old pro at bringing the funny. But the film’s real selling point is the clever script, with its mischievous ruminations on the adolescent nature of the political election process.
Recount
The 2000 presidential election was an infamously messy affair. You may recall the Florida recounts, the hanging chads, and the panicky exchange of litigation that ultimately escalated to the Supreme Court. If elections are inherently dramatic, then contested U.S. presidential elections are about as dramatic as it gets.
HBO’s excellent television movie on the affair, Recount, chronicles the madness and delivers some interesting insights on how it all went down behind the scenes. Kevin Spacey leads the strong ensemble cast, which includes John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Denis Leary, Bob Balaban, and Laura Dern as former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Recount won the 2008 Emmy for best TV movie.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Director Frank Capra’s classic 1939 political fable stars Jimmy Stewart as a naive junior senator taking on the corrupt political machine of Washington, D.C. It’s a fascinating historical artifact and was hugely controversial upon its release. Capra’s depiction of a crooked Congress prompted the Powers That Be in both Washington and Hollywood to attempt to ban the film outright.
It all looks adorably quaint now, of course, but keep in mind that the film was released in 1939. Mr. Smith is the movie that made Jimmy Stewart a star, and his evocation of old-fashioned American earnestness is the perfect antidote for yet another poisonous election season. A good-quality digital version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is available to view free of charge at the Internet Archive.
Game Change
Another critically acclaimed HBO TV movie, Game Change digs into the controversy surrounding John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, particularly his campaign’s dubious decision to bring on Alaska governor Sarah Palin as running mate.
The movie is filled with compelling personalities, and we get great performances from Julianne Moore as Palin and Ed Harris as John McCain. But the film’s real achievement is depicting the incredible complexities of a 21st century presidential campaign, where sound bytes are endlessly recycled online and the news cycle never stops tumbling.
The West Wing
NBC’s late, great television drama The West Wing isn’t a movie, of course. But it often played like a big-budget film, thanks to its high production values, a powerhouse cast, and —most importantly — the intricately crafted rat-a-tat dialogue from marquee screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
The West Wing is a glorious binge-watching opportunity on Netflix, whether you’ve seen the show before or not. The serial TV format allows the scripts to take time and dig deep into the nuts, blots, and money wrenches of American politics. Sorkin’s famously dense dialogue really is musical, in the sense that you can listen to individual scenes and episodes over and over — like revisiting your favorite Beatles records. Actually, it might not be a bad idea to put The West Wing in your Netflix queue for the next several months, as a musical counterpoint to the incessant noise of the actual election.
Double Secret Bonus Tip: Keep in mind that the selections listed here are all free to stream, assuming you have a Netflix and/or Amazon Prime subscription. If you want to rent or purchase a digital title, you can find a lot more choices via iTunes or through your cable/satellite on-demand listings. For election-themed movies, that’s a whole ’nother list. But might I suggest the underrated 2012 comedy The Campaign, which features the pure comedy wattage of Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis? Can’t argue with that.
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Glenn McDonald writes about the intersections of technology and culture at glenn-mcdonald.com and via Twitter @glennmcdonald1.
