Customer Reviews

The American President

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Everyone knows this is a terrific movie! Those of us who are also DVD fans have waited a couple of years for this to appear on DVD. What a let down!! Rob, where are you man!!!

This a poor transfer with lots of artifacts and someone trying too hard to sharpen the image. To make matters worse this disc has very limited extras. Ok, it's out so let's move to the "collector's edition" so Warner can get a few more bucks and we can get a disc more worthy of this great movie!!

This is a charming film with good performances. It reads like a precursor to Aaron Sorkin's "West Wing," except Martin Sheen is the best friend in this one. Michael Douglas is president.

HOWEVER, the DVD transfer on this disc is fairly notorious on DVD review sites as being one of the worst ever created. You would be doing yourself a disservice by buying this disc. Get the VHS tape or wait for a new edition on DVD.

"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."

Okay, to weigh in on the key points of discussion that keep popping up with regards to this particular romantic comedy. First, I would have liked "West Wing" if I had never seen "The American President" and I would have liked "The American President" even if it was not a test balloon for "The West Wing." Second, of course a romantic comedy about the President of the United States is going to have a liberal in the White House. Conservatives are either (a) not that funny or (b) do not like to be laughed at, take your pick. Third, the part that bugs me the most is the "character" issue everybody keeps alluding to. I know part of the premise of this movie is "What is Hillary died and Bill Clinton was all alone in the White House and Chelsea was giving him dating tips?", but does that automatically mean we have to give all his sexual foibles to the fictional Andrew Shepherd? The man says he has only loved two women in his life and that it has been a long time since he has done anything sexual, so what is this character issue? Somebody explain it to me...like I was a six year old.

The actual plot of "The American President" is as old as the hills: boy becomes President, boy meets girl, boys falls for girl, girl falls for boy, and the entire country has an opinion. But ultimately the story does not matter because we stop flipping through the channels when we come to this movie on television because of the snappy dialogue and the excellent acting performances. Somehow screenwriter Aaron Sorkin got from "A Few Good Men" and "Malice," to this choice piece of political drama. Michael Douglas turns in his best romantic comedy performance as President Andrew Shepherd while Annette Bening plays Sydney Ellen Wade, a paid political lobbyist who discovers she has more of the President of the United States than his ear.

But ultimately "The American President" features one of those ensemble casts that makes you sit and shake your head in wonder. Actually, it is rather depressing to think that the actual occupants of the West Wing are no where as smart or as glib as this crew: Martin Sheen ("Come, friends, let us away"), Anna Deavere Smith ("I think the important thing is not to make it look like we're panicking"), Samantha Mathis ("Sir, I don't understan?"), and David Paymer ("Well, I could explain it better, but I'd need charts, and graphs, and an easel"), and in my choice for the best performance of his career, Michael J. Fox ("Can I just state very clearly I can't be part of anything illegal").

Did I mention the dialogue is really good in this film? However, the film's only Oscar nomination was for Original Musical score. Go figure.

Personally, I do not think the American people would turn upon a widowed President who started dating. But then I have this pesky idealistic streak that refuses to go away. This is a witty, literate romantic-comedy that harkens back to Hollywood's golden age. Ultimately the film's political leanings have little to do with our enjoyment because we know nothing ever happens with issues like gun control and fuel emissions in the real world and Bob Rumson's problem is not that he is running for President but that he is trying to break up the romance between these two kids.

Most Romantic Lines: (1) "Well, first of all, the two hundred pairs of eyes aren't focused on me. They're focused on you. And the answers are Sydney Ellen Wade, and because she said yes." (2) "Perhaps I didn't properly explain the fundamentals of the slowdown plan." (3) "I've loved two women in my life. I lost one to cancer and I lost the other because I was too busy keeping my job to do my job. Well, that ends right now." Of course, these are not the best lines in the movie because those are all about politics more than romance.

If you like "The American President," then check out these other films on the AFI's list: #74 "Woman of the Year" and #31 "The King and I." Why? Well, because in the former you find how hard it is to mix politics and love and in the latter you have a leader whose position does not allow him to fall in love.

This movie has long been my favorite. By the way if you're scanning this to figure out why I only gave this film four stars, it's because of the DVD format. No special features whatsoever. Hey Rob! Climb down off your wallet and do a commentary with Aaron. Annette, Michael, hows about a little interview or perhaps another commentary. Delete Scenes? Outtakes? I want to see Michael Douglas trip over the phrase "Upper Bi-cuspid Region." ::Climbs down off his soap box::

The title of my review says it all in a nutshell. If you're looking for Air Force One, Executive Decision or Thirteen Days, the buck does not stop here. This movie is a fairy tale. Think Ivan Reitman's "Dave." That movie starts with the Subtitle "Once Upon a Time." Exactly. It's Boy meets girl on a grand scale. It doesn't matter that President Andrew Shepherd is a Democrat, and Bob Rumsom (By the way, can you imagine "President Rumson?" Ick.) is a Republican. Rumson is the Antagonist (all good movies have one) period.

Richard Dreyfuss plays an exquisitely delicious villan, using President Shephard's new found love of Sydney Ellen Wade, for his own political gain.

Martin Sheen as Chief of Staff AJ MacInerney, now best known as President Josiah Bartlet on the West Wing, seems to be a fore-runner for the President Bartlet's own COS Leo McGarry (After all Aaron Sorkin [who is GOD] did write this movie and the series West Wing). Sheen is brilliant as Douglas' conscience and confidant.

Michael J Fox' character, Lewis Rothschild, and David Paymer's Leon Kodak, are Shephard's Prism. They show Shephard in Black and White, with no punches pulled, where he's at, where he's going and how to get there.

The other characters, while having lessor roles, are written and performed flawlessly, especially Wendie Mallick, Samantha Mathis, Josh Malina, and Anna Deavere Smith-- the last two of whom are also West Wing Alums. Lastly John Mahoney, always the consumate actor round out this amazing cast with a stellar performance of the secondary or quasi-antagonist.

Buy this movie with no political Axe to grind. Buy this movie without your reality blinders on-- Yes, I know it's a ridiculous premise, but so is the guy in a white suit with the crewcut sitting on a bench, and look what Zemekis got out of that one. It's a FAIRY TALE. It's FICTION. IT'S A MOVIE. Relax. Enjoy the film.

I agree with the Mr. Thomann's review.

This DVD was originally supposed to have a new anamorphic widescreen version on it, but I guess they changed their minds. I have a feeling they intended to release a good version of this movie (anamorphic, etc.), but then decided not to for some reason. Instead of cancelling the release (which is what they should have done), I guess they said "Hey, we have tons of old stock in inventory. Maybe we can repackage it with some gimmick like a Mother's Day card."

Honestly, I don't even think they make snap cases anymore. I haven't seen a new release with a snap case in 2-3 years. I also haven't seen any movie releases that don't have an anamorphic version in a couple years either. This has to be old stock.

Sometimes I really hate Warner Brothers. I initially hated them because of the snap cases that they littered our collections with, now they sell old stock to fans that have been waiting years for an anamorphic version of this movie.

The movie is great. Maybe someday they will do it justice with a decent DVD release.

Message to Warner Brothers: We already purchased your crappy release of this great movie years ago. Now you just stuck us with the same exact DVD, but with an unwanted Mother's Day card. After this, how can we trust you for future re-releases of other classics.

"The American President" was a script idea floating around Hollywood since the late 1970's. Originally entitled, "The President Elopes" it was first conceived as a flat out farce and then a melodrama before falling into the capable hands of director, Rob Reiner in the early 1990's. Retitled and rewritten, the resulting film, about what would happen if a widowed President decided to date a political activist, the film emerged as a touching, sentimental and witty romantic comedy that warmed the heart and endeared itself in the mind. As President Andrew Sheppard, Michael Douglas is simply amazing. Annette Benning is a sensation as his girlfriend, Sidney Ellen-Wade. Nice cameos from Martin Sheen, David Paymer and Michael J. Fox round out this stellar cast.
Unfortunately there's nothing stellar about the DVD transfer from Warner Brothers. It's not anamorphic and is riddled with the kind of excessive digital grain and anomolies that one can't fathom from a major player like Warner Home Video. Aliasing, shimmering of fine details, excessive edge enhancement and extreme digital tiling create a visual image that is gritty, harsh and overpowering on the eyes. Colors can be well balanced and at other times quite smeared. The soundtrack has been remastered to 5.1 surround but one wonders why the extra effort was taken, considering how badly the rest of the film looks. THERE ARE NO EXTRAS! Bottom line: Don't waste your time or money. The good news - since this release Warner Video has done a complete 180 degree turn about so we just might see a remastering effort of this title in the near future. Here's to hoping.

It's hard to imagine how a DVD transfer could have been worse. Considering it is a dual-layer disk there is absolutely no excuse for the poor quality (artifacts, HUGE pixelation problems, etc.) and lack of extra features. I guess it didn't make sense to show a couple of guys in a dirty lab holding up a DV camcorder while the movie played as a "Making of The American President DVD"...

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.

First I liked the movie. If you like a romantic comedy then this is good one. You must put aside any idea that it has any basis in reality. It is the expected hollywood version of the US government. If you are a liberal than you are heaven sent and if you are conservative than you are a hellbound devil who's only interest is destroying the country and starving children and old folk. In this film, you have a ultr-liberal director and the only conservative voice in the film is a monster and played by Richard Dreyfuss who has never had a conservative thought. So if you can get past the extreme bias in the film and not take it too seriously, you might enjoy it. My rating is not about the movie, it is about the distribution of the DVD by Warner Brothers. They have released three verions of the film....kind of. The first version released ten years ago indicated the film was not in enhanced widescreen. It had a poor image but was that was very common as DVDs were first coming to the marketplace. The two followup releases have claimed to be ENHANCED FOR WIDESCREEN TV...BUT WERE NOT. One version had an outer sleave that claimed this, but the actual case did not while the most recent version puts ENHANCED right on the disc insert. Both of these version are the same old version previously released. I would like to believe that this is a mistake, but it occurs too often for this to be true. What is likely more accurate is the WB intentionally mislabels the disc packaging so that owners of the old disce will buy it again, and since once it is opened it cannot be returned....FRUAD profits for WB. WB lies about the product and we simply get ripped off.