# Movies to Watch This Election Season **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094 "2012-10-28T01:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/1 "2012-10-28T01:29:37Z")
Background to this: I was watching _Dead Poets’ Society_ yesterday and was struck by how easily it could be called “W Mitt Romney’s School Days” (although I’m admittedly I’m sceptical whether the future Governor would have joined any such group). So what are some movies not necesarilly political in theme that would make relevant and good watching this election season? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/2 "2012-10-28T05:37:43Z")
I’ve never seen it and have no idea if it’s any good, but Robert Redford’s [Candidate](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068334/) was the first thing to come to mind. I saw Alexander Payne’s black comedy [Election](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126886/) in the theater a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t seen it since it was first released and it’s still just as good now as it was then. These are way darker than I should go, since the thought of the current president being shot terrifies me, but they are good movies. [The Manchurian Candidate](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056218/) is a truly great movie (the 1962 original, please). The David Cronenberg version of Stephen King’s [The Dead Zone](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085407/) is one of those movies that’s in many ways better than the book. Martin Scorsese’s [Taxi Driver](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/) might be stretching it, but hey, it’s set during an election. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/3 "2012-10-29T13:39:12Z")
[The Ides of March](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/), an above-average political thriller with outstanding performances from Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman. A very cynical look at how elections really work, and probably not terribly far off the mark. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/4 "2012-10-29T19:53:20Z")
[Bob Roberts](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1538890752/tt0103850) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/5 "2012-10-29T21:52:14Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > [The Ides of March](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/), an above-average political thriller with outstanding performances from Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman. A very cynical look at how elections really work, and probably not terribly far off the mark. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/6 "2012-10-29T22:22:04Z")
_O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ Homer Stokes vs. Pappy O’Daniel. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/7 "2012-10-29T22:33:24Z")
[The Best Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057883/) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/8 "2012-10-29T23:52:32Z")
_Speechless_ - a rom-com with Michael Keaton and Geena Davis as political speechwriters who fall for each other but are working for opposing candidates. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/9 "2012-10-30T01:09:50Z")
**[Primary Colors](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119942/)** for a political film. **[Shampoo](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073692/)** has little to do with politics on the surface, but the setting – Election Day 1968 – gives it a political message. For older films, **[The Great McGinty](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032554/)** is a very funny look at crooked politics. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/10 "2012-10-30T02:36:41Z")
_Inherit the Wind_ still seems alarmingly relevant today. HBO’s _Recount_ and _Game Change_ are nice souvenirs of elections (recently) past. It’s impossible to watch _A Face in the Crowd_ and not be reminded of several characters on the contemporary political-media scene. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/11 "2012-10-30T02:42:19Z")
Oliver Stone’s **Nixon** is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/12 "2012-11-08T21:20:51Z")
For lighthearted fare, Man of the Year (Robin Williams) and Dave (Kevin Kline) …Sorry I saw this so late… —G! I’m running for President and… Here is an Industrial Love Song… . --Joe Walsh (Eagles) . Intro to _Life’s Been Good_ . Live! ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-to-watch-this-election-season/639094/13 "2012-11-08T23:08:10Z")
THE GREAT McGINTY, director Preston Sturges, starring Joel McCrea, is a classic comedy about political corruption.