The American President
Short description
Widowed US President Andrew Shepherd is nearing the end of his first term and preparing to run for re-election when he meets Sydney Ellen Wade, a lobbyist working for an environmental organisation. The two begin a relationship, but the attention it draws from the press and from Shepherd's political opponents turns his personal life into a public issue. As his approval ratings slide, he must weigh his feelings for Wade against the demands of his office and his chances at the polls.
The 1995 film was directed by Rob Reiner, the ninth of the nineteen features he has directed, following North and preceding The Story of Us. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay, and Reiner produced. Michael Douglas plays Shepherd, with Annette Bening as Wade; the cast also includes Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith and Samantha Mathis.
The production had a budget of 62 million US dollars and took 108 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9 from around 65,000 votes, while on TMDB it rates 6.5 from roughly 810 votes, and a critics' score of 7.5 from 130 reviews places it above the audience figures.
What's left behind the scenes
- Michael J. Fox kept his Parkinson's disease a secret until the very beginning of filming, fearing that the role of the President's Domestic Policy Advisor would be given to another actor. During auditions and medical examinations, Fox constantly worried that someone would notice his left hand trembling and identify the illness. Fortunately, the actor took his prescribed medication for tremors in time, so the medical examination only showed an increased pulse and elevated blood pressure.
- Michael Douglas is actually related (albeit distantly) to several US presidents – Richard Nixon (1913-1994) and both Bushes (1924-2018 and 1946-).
- Robert Redford was initially cast in the lead role, but he had a falling out with director Rob Reiner and was replaced by Michael Douglas. Redford remained a producer.
- Neither the public nor the media are allowed onto the grounds of Camp David, the American presidents' country residence, so the artist Lilly Kilvert had to use personal photographs from someone's private archive of the 'Nixon era' when working on the set decorations, and complete the rest herself.
- During one of his many visits to the White House, director Rob Reiner spent two days straight with Bill Clinton (the 42nd President of the United States), practically shadowing him.
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