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In honor of Election Day I thought I would take refuse and watch a movie about Presidents while keeping eye on the controversial results. While browsing for my choice, I figured I might as well compile a list of political movies about real life and fictional presidents.
Whether your passion is to escape to a love story, a little comedy, or the intense drama that only Hollywood can dream up, there’s something on this list for everyone. Hopefully this will help pick up your election humdrums while giving you a sense of patriotism too. I’ve listed them in order of date and have linked you to the least expensive option for streaming.
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Patriotic Movies
Southside with You (2016) – Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter
American biographical romantic drama film written, produced, and directed by Richard Tanne, in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as a young Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson, respectively, and focuses on the couple’s first date in 1989.
Stream here >>
LBJ (2017) – Woody Harrelson
An American political drama film about the beginning of the presidency of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson following the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. It was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Joey Hartstone, whose script was on the 2014 Black List.
Stream here >>
Elvis and Nixon (2016) – Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer
The untold true story behind the meeting between the King of Rock ‘n Roll and President Nixon, resulting in this revealing, yet humorous moment immortalized in the most requested photograph in the National Archives. (Amazon)
Stream here >>
Barry (2016) – Devon Terrill
American drama film directed by Vikram Gandhi about Barack Obama’s life at Columbia University in 1981
Available on Netflix >>
The Better Angels (2014) – Diane Kruger, Jason Clarke
The Better Angels is a 2014 American biographical historical drama film about United States President Abraham Lincoln’s formative years. It was written and directed by A. J. Edwards and produced by Terrence Malick. The film had its premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival in 2014.
Stream here >>
White House Down (2013) – Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from an armed group of paramilitary invaders. (AMC via Amazon)
Stream here >>
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) – Forest Whitaker, David Banner
As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man’s life, family, and American society. (FandangoNow)
Stream here >>
Killing Kennedy (2013) – Rob Lowe, Will Rothhaar
Shocking thriller starring Rob Lowe and Ginnifer Goodwin. As John F. Kennedy rises to become U.S. president, a former Marine grows disillusioned with America. When their paths ultimately cross, the course of history is changed forever as seen in this mesmerizing film about the assassination of JFK — and its chilling aftermath. (Amazon)
Stream here >>
Game Change (2012) – Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson
This searing, behind-the-scenes look at John McCain’s ill-fated 2008 presidential campaign follows the daring plan to add Sarah Palin to the ticket and the implosion that would soon follow. (Amazon & HBO)
Stream here >>
Lincoln (2012) – Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field
This inspiring Drama follow President Lincoln on his last 4 months as the Civil War continues to rage. America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. (Fandango)
Stream here >>
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) – Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie
Edgy thriller about the untold story that shaped our nation. Abraham Lincoln, history’s greatest hunter of the undead, must risk the presidency, his family and his life to protect America from bloodthirsty vampires.
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Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) – Bill Murray, Laura Linney
In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (played by Mr. Murray) readies to host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson, in upstate New York – marking the first-ever visit of a reigning British monarch to America. As Britain faces imminent war with Germany, the royals are desperately looking to FDR for U.S. support.
Stream here >>
The Ides of March (2011) – Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman
During a brutal presidential primary season, an idealistic campaign staffer discovers a secret that could alter the race for his candidate. (Amazon)
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Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen
When aliens attack, this rag-tag group of monsters joins forces to fight back. (FandangoNow)
Stream here >>
Recount (2008) – Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban
A gripping film that explores the human drama surrounding the controversial 2000 presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. (Currently unavailable to stream)
Frost/Nixon (2008) – Forest Whitaker, David Banner
Director Ron Howard. A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. (FandangoNow)
Stream here >>
W. (2008) – Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn
Controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone takes on the life and presidency of George W. Bush, capturing the alleged notorious moments in his life. (Amazon)
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Man of the Year (2006) -Robin Williams, Christopher Walken
A hilarious performance as a tell-it-as-it-is comedian who decides to run for president in order to unleash his comedic rants on the powers that be.
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Welcome to Mooseport (2004) – Gene Hackman, Ray Romano
A US president who has retired after two terms in office returns to his hometown of Mooseport, Maine and decides to run for Mayor against another local candidate. (FandangoNow)
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The Manchurian Candidate (2004) – Jeffrey Wright, Pablo Schreiber
In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes. (Amazon)
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Pearl Harbor (2001) – Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett
Recreation of Pearl Harbor and the harrowing wartime aftermath. (FandangoNow)
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The Contender (2000) – Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges
Senator Laine Hanson is a contender for US Vice President, but information and disinformation about her past surfaces that threatens to de-rail her confirmation. (Available for purchase only)
Thirteen Days (2000) – Bruce Greenwood, Kevin Costner, Frank Wood
Gripping account of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. President John F. Kennedy and his advisors grapple with the reality of impending nuclear war when the Soviet Union places atomic warheads 90 miles from the USA.
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Dick (1999) – Kristen Dunst, Michelle Williams
American comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming from a script he wrote with Sheryl Longin. It is a comic reimagining of the Watergate scandal which ended the presidency of Richard (“Tricky Dick”) Nixon and features several cast members from Saturday Night Live and The Kids in the Hall
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Wag the Dog (1998) – Dustin Hoffman, Robert Deniro
After being caught in a scandalous situation days before the election, the president does not seem to have much of a chance of being re-elected. One of his advisors contacts a top Hollywood producer in order to manufacture a war in Albania that the president can heroically end, all through the mass media.(FandangoNow)
Stream here >>
Primary Colors (1998) – John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton
A wild race to the White House in this savagely funny comedy, a man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for president of the USA. (Amazon Prime)
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Deep Impact (1998) – Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni
What would you do if you knew that in a handful of days an enormous comet would collide with Earth and all humanity could be annihilated? The countdown to doomsday is underway.
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Amistad (1997) – Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins
Director Stephen Spielberg. AMISTAD a 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the Northeast Coast of America. Much of the story involves a courtroom drama about the free-man who led the revolt.
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Air Force One (1997) – Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Wendy Crewson
When Air Force One is captured by terrorists, it’s a good thing that the man who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones is on hand to protect the First Family. (FandangoNow)
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Absolute Power (1997) – Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman
A career thief witnesses a horrific crime involving the U.S. President. (FandangoNow)
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My Fellow Americans (1996) – Jack Lemmon, James Garner
Two former U.S. presidents, who loathe each other, find themselves traveling together on a road trip to the White House to investigate a scandal involving the current president. (FandangoNow)
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Mars Attacks (1996) – Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close
The President of the United States greeting invaders from outer space? Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor. (FandangoNow)
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Independence Day (1996) – Bill Pullman, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum
On July 2nd, communications systems worldwide are sent into chaos by a strange atmospheric interference. First thought to be meteors, they are later revealed to be gigantic spacecraft, piloted by a mysterious alien species who have set out to launch an attack throughout the globe.
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The American President (1995) – Michael Douglas, Annette Bening
Politics, the press and deeply held values collide in this intelligent romantic comedy when Andrew Shepherd falls in love with beautiful environmental lobbyist Sydney Wade.
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Nixon (1995) – Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen
A riveting look at the complex man whose presidency ended in scandal. Nixon’s passion for power proved to be not only his downfall, but led to events which jeopardized the nation’s security. (Amazon)
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Jefferson in Paris (1995) – Nick Nolte, Gwyneth Paltrow
Chronicles the time that Thomas Jefferson spent as the American Ambassador to France (1784-1789). These were significant years for him in his public and personal life, and fateful ones for France, where the revolution was about to break out. (Amazon)
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Guarding Tess (1994) – Shirley MacLaine, Nicholas Cage
One of my favorites, former first lady and her bored reluctant Secret Service guard in this comedy-drama share some funny moments, and some touching ones too. (Amazon)
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Dave (1993) – Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver
Just who runs this country anyway? Uncanny Presidential look-like Dave,is recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States. This charming love story offers hope to the American people.
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JFK (1991) – Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
A New Orleans DA discovers there’s more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.
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Patriotic President Movies 1970-1980’s
Secret Honor (1984) Philip Baker Hall
A film written by Donald Freed and Arnold M. Stone (based on their play), directed by Robert Altman and starring Philip Baker Hall as former president Richard M. Nixon, a fictional account attempting to gain insight into his personality, life, attitudes and behavior. It was filmed at the University of Michigan.
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All The President’s Men (1976) – Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford
Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon’s resignation.
Stream here >>
Give ‘Em Hell, Harry (1975) – James Whitmore
President Harry S. Truman (James Whitmore) looks back on his life in this one-man performance. (Currently unavailable to stream)
The Candidate (1972) – Robert Redford, Peter Boyle
An idealistic attorney running for office this marvelous, biting, satire on media-age political campaigns.(Amazon Prime)
Free to stream here >>
Patriotic Presidential Movie Classics 1969 and Older
The President’s Analyst (1967) – James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge
The focus is on the psychiatrist who treats the President. At first he is honored, but then the job begins to get to him. (Amazon)
$3.99 to stream here >>
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
This cold-war farce has Peter Sellers in three roles, including President of the United States. His conversation with his counterpart in the USSR is a masterpiece. (VidAngel)
Stream here >>
Fail Safe (1964) – Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Dan O’Herlihy
A U.S. plane loaded with hydrogen bombs is flying towards Moscow and because of technical difficulties, is impossible to recall. Will an all out war be averted? (FandangoNow)
$3.99 to stream here >>
The Best Man (1964) – Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson
Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson square off as political adversaries during a presidential primary in this sardonic, insightful drama that brings out the best, and worst, in American politics. (Currently unavailable to rent)
Seven Days in May (1964) – Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March
Thriller about a Marine Corps colonel who accidentally discovers a plot to take over the government by a high-ranking general.(FandangoNow)
$3.99 to stream here >>
PT 109 (1963) – Cliff Robertson, Ty Hardin
Cliff Robertson stars in this stirring saga of Kennedy’s wartime exploits as skipper of a PT boat in the Solomon Islands. (Amazon)
$3.99 to stream here >>
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh
What really happened to a group of soldiers captured and held prisoner during the Korean War? And what power does one man’s politically ambitious mother hold over him? An intense thriller! (Amazon)
$3.99 to stream here >>
Sunrise at Campobello (1960) – Ralph Bellamy, Greer Garson
In the summer of 1921, unsuccessful vice-presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy) is vacationing with his family at their estate on Campobello Island on the Maine/New Brunswick border. During their stay, the 39-year-old Roosevelt comes down with a fever and sudden paralysis that is eventually diagnosed as polio. (Currently unavailable to stream)
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) – Raymond Massey, Gene Lockhart
Humble Abraham Lincoln gains the respect of his Illinois neighbors, growing in stature and respect until he is elected President in 1860 and departs for Washington. Covers the period from Lincoln’s early years as a Kentucky woodsman until his election. (Amazon)
$2.99 to stream here >>
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) – Henry Fonda, Alice Brady
A classic for the old movie buff, follows Lincoln long before he ran for President. We see him mourn his first love and defend his first clients. (Amazon)
$3.99 to stream here >>
Gabriel Over the White House (1933) – Walter Huston, Karen Morley
A political hack becomes President during the height of the Depression then undergoes a metamorphosis into an incorruptible statesman after a near-fatal accident. (Currently unavailable to stream)
Documentaries and Mini Series
Trump Card – Dinesh D’Souza, Bruce Schooley
A 2020 American political documentary film by far-right political commentator, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist Dinesh D’Souza. The film is intended to focus on “the corruption and gangsterization of socialism in the Democratic Party as embodied by the two remaining presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.
Stream here >>
Biden (2019)
A new documentary examines Joe Biden’s 2020 run for the presidency of the United States. The former Vice President and political legend will give it everything he has to defeat Donald Trump. But one question remains, do Biden’s best days lie ahead?|
Stream here >>
The Day Reagan was Shot –
An insane and obsessive young man named John Hinckley Jr. attemps to kill U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, Reagan’s life hangs in the balance as two young surgeons battle to save him. (Currently unavailable to stream)
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007) – Lillian Carter, Jimmy Carter
President Jimmy Carter ignites a firestorm of controversy when he tours the country to promote “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” (Amazon)
Stream for $3.99 here >>
The War Room (2015) Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings
A documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it. With humor and heart it explores the power that prayer can have on every area of our lives. (Currently unavailable to stream)
Mitt – Mitt Romney
The real Mitt Romney is revealed in this documentary that goes beyond the sound bites with unprecedented access to his 2012 presidential campaign. (Netflix exclusive)
Stream here >>
John Adams – Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
The life of one of the USA’s Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation’s first 50 years. (Amazon Mini Series)
Free to stream here >>
Streaming Movies on the Go
Amazon Prime: If you have an Amazon Prime account always search there first. Many movies are free to stream for Prime members. Prime members also enjoy free shipping on 1000’s of items and get free access to the Washington Post digital subscription
Get a free trial of Prime here >>
FandangoNow: FandangoNow allows members (free to join) the option to earn credits for each movie watched. The credits can than been be use towards future rentals. After joining make sure to watch their home page. The often have free rentals available.
Check out FandangoNow here >>
What’s your favorite political movie?
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