Pure Hollywood - but sometimes that's what you want. Nice guy Kevin Kline is hired to double for the President as he sneaks off to have an affair. Well, that's not very credible to begin with, but the writer is Gary Ross, so it's a cut above your standard fare. Although, having said that, I wish they'd made more of secret service guy Ving Rhames, who might have been integrated into the plot better. (Actually that applies even more so to the Laura Linney character.) And lynchpin plot person Ben Kingsley doesn't come in at all before the Third Act. Actually, how well written is this? Better than it turned out on the finished film, I bet. Though why even say that? I don't know, is the answer.
So perhaps it wasn't as good as I thought. Still, very enjoyable. With Bad Guy Frank Langella, Mrs President Sigourney Weaver, writer Kevin Dunn, friend Charles Grodin (Midnight Run, The Heartbreak Kid, Filofax, 11 Harrowhouse). And Anna Deavere Smith, who's in both The American President and The West Wing.
Photographed by Adam Greenberg, edited by Sheldon Kahn, music by James Newton Howard.
Features many real life congressmen, Arnold Schwarzenegger and (an amusing cameo) Oliver Stone, who posits a conspiracy theory (must watch JFK). Also Jason Reitman (VP's son) and Ross himself is Policeman #2.
Ross also wrote Big, Mr Baseball, Lassie, The Misery Brothers (which has truly terrible ratings), Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games, Free State of Jones (disillusioned Civil War deserter starts uprising against corrupt local government, true story, looks good) and Ocean's Eight.
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