# Best or Accurate Political Movies ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516 "2019-04-14T00:01:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/1 "2019-04-14T00:01:15Z")
Doesn’t matter what the leaning is… It can be a favorite, or one you think that is accurate, you can describe your decision-making. It’s been a while, but I remember “The Edukators” being a great political film. -Network -The Godfather (more abstract) than There Will Be Blood Mr. Smith Goes To Washington -A Face in the Crowd I’ll think of more later… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/2 "2019-04-14T06:01:08Z")
_Citizen Kane_ ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/3 "2019-04-14T07:53:22Z")
Another vote for ‘The Edukators’. All the more interesting for how much the corrosive effects of US style bare knuckle capitalism pervades even in Germany. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/4 "2019-04-14T11:10:50Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > Another vote for ‘The Edukators’. All the more interesting for how much the corrosive effects of US style bare knuckle capitalism pervades even in Germany. I actually visited Germany for the first time a few months after seeing that movie. It exists, but Germany actually has a social safety net worth saving, where in the US, not so. I just loved the fridge materialism, “Eat your stereo” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/5 "2019-04-14T12:13:58Z")
I’m pretty certain, “All the President’s Men” should win this running away. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/6 "2019-04-14T14:29:11Z")
But _ATPM_ is a retelling of a factual story, using real names, etc. Of course Robert Redford never made a [fictional movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Candidate_(1972_film)#Production) about a politician that included bits from actual campaigns. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/7 "2019-04-14T14:46:22Z")
[Bob Roberts](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103850/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1). I haven’t watched it for a few years but one look at the image of Tim Robbins, as the title character, wrapping himself in the flag makes it look pretty relevant. Worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/8 "2019-04-14T15:38:43Z")
_Ninotchka_ _One, Two, Three_ ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/9 "2019-04-14T15:46:01Z")
_Wag the Dog_ seemed pretty accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/10 "2019-04-14T15:57:59Z")
_Dave_ (1993] — Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley. ETA a comedy, quite enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_Burly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frank_burly/32/24_2.png) [@Frank\_Burly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_Burly)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/11 "2019-04-14T16:27:01Z")
Burn After Reading. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/12 "2019-04-14T17:29:31Z")
_Duck Soup_ (1933) _Gabriel Over the White House_ (1933) - Depression-era presidential fantasy in support of fascism to solve the country’s (and world’s) problems. _The President Vanishes_ (1934) - Depression-era presidential fantasy in support of U.S. isolationism. _The Great Dictator_ (1940) _The Great McGinty_ (1940) _The Glass Key_ (1942) _Dr. Strangelove_ (1962) - Looks less like a comedy every year. _The Battle of Algiers_ (1966) _Z_ (1969) _Medium Cool_ (1969) _Syriana_ (2005) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/13 "2019-04-14T18:35:24Z")
“In The Loop”, from Armando Iannucci. Same guy who came up with Veep and the BBC show, The Thick Of It. Might as well go see his “The Death of Stalin,” too. “The Fog of War”, a documentary interview by Errol Morris, about Robert McNamara, is supposed to be excellent. I liked Redford’s, “The Candidate,” but it’s been awhile. Pity no one’s made a movie out of “Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72.” ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/14 "2019-04-14T18:44:26Z")
The Distinguished Gentleman, starring Eddie Murphy, deserves a mention. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/15 "2019-04-14T18:53:50Z")
For a look at 1860s Sicilian politics, there is _The Leopard_, Luchino Visconti’s film of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel. from [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/326-remembrance-of-things-past-the-leopard](https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/326-remembrance-of-things-past-the-leopard) > [@](#): > > The convergence and divergence of Lampedusa and Visconti are particularly interesting here. Lampedusa was a Sicilian aristocrat deeply skeptical about progress; Visconti was a northern aristocrat deeply dedicated to it. But Lampedusa was too thoughtful a conservative to believe he could simply cling to the past, and Visconti was too intelligent a radical to believe all changes were for the better. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/16 "2019-04-15T02:07:51Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > “In The Loop”, from Armando Iannucci. Same guy who came up with Veep and the BBC show, The Thick Of It. Might as well go see his “The Death of Stalin,” too. Seconded. _In the Loop_ is scary and depressing–that an acidic satire captures the run-up to the Iraq War so accurately–and yet also hilarious as hell. Bring your A-game as a viewer, because the Iannucci rapid-fire dialogue train stops for no one. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/17 "2019-04-15T12:29:51Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I liked Redford’s, “The Candidate,” but it’s been awhile. I’ll take your “Candidate” and raise to “The _Manchurian_ Candidate” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/18 "2019-04-15T15:33:02Z")
Bob Roberts and Wag the Dog are the two most scary movies I’ve ever seen. I can believe either can happen in this country. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/19 "2019-04-15T17:16:15Z")
Parallax View: paranoid conspiracy theory stuff, but a little too real The President’s Analyst: fun comedy, but also a little too real ---
**Author:** ![lawf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@lawf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawf)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516/20 "2019-04-16T06:44:06Z")
Waltz with Bashir: Although animated, it is one of the best political films. It explores the intersection between the collective and the individualistic. It does so by focusing how war causes mental trauma, and how that trauma goes on to affect an individual–both in their interpersonal relations and in terms of shaping their worldview. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-or-accurate-political-movies-ever/832516.md?page=2)