The American President is a 1995 romantic drama directed by Rob Reiner (in his first film after the infamous North) and written by Aaron Sorkin, starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J Fox, and Martin Sheen. These days it is most noted for being basically a dress rehearsal for Sorkin's later TV series The West Wing, which included a number of the same actors, albeit in different parts.US President Andrew Shepherd (Douglas), previously the governor of Wisconsin and a widower/single father, is on top of the world as the movie starts. His poll numbers are excellent, and together with his staff, which includes Chief of Staff A. J. MacInerney (Sheen) and Lewis Rothschild (Fox), he is planning to pass a major new crime bill. However, things change when he meets Sydney Ellen Wade (Bening), an environmental lobbyist who has been hired to push for new legislation. After the typical Meet Cute, Shepherd asks her out, and they begin dating, which of course draws major media interest.This also grabs the attention of Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), who has an eye to challenging Shepherd in the next election, and wants to use his relationship with Sydney to drag the President through the mud. This calls into question Shepard's previous "family man" reputation and his professional judgement as the "most powerful man on Earth."Features typically strong dialogue from Aaron Sorkin and good performances all around.
Tropes featured include:
Adorkable: Pres. Shephard may be the most powerful man in the world but he is also just a guy who wants to win the heart of the girl he likes and basically can't stop smiling the first time he meets her. (And he gets in a great line concerning the tag of "the most powerful man in the world" while professing he's nervous about the sex they're about to have)
All Star Cast: Top to bottom filled with veteran name actors.
Robin McCall: How do you want me to handle the Sydney issue?
President Andrew Shepherd: "The Sydney issue"?
Lewis Rothschild: We should have a consensus on how the White House is going to handle it.
President Andrew Shepherd: Well I sure hope the Sydney issue refers in some way to a problem we're having with Australia, because if it's anything else-
Captain Obvious: "My name is Bob Rumson, and I'm running for President!"
Contractual Purity: An In-Universe version where Shepard and Wade try to experience a relatively normal, adult relationship but the massive media attention skews it to where Wade is a "whore" and Shepard is taking her as his mistress. Shepard explains the trope as such in his final speech.
Deadpan Snarker: It's a film written by Aaron Sorkin, so needless to say, EVERYONE is this.
Emotional Regression: Shepard has been out of the dating loop for a long time, so his attempts at learning about Sydney come across as high school-ish. Lampshaded by A.J. "I could pass her a note before study hall."
Everybody Calls Him Barkeep: Much to his chagrin, everyone calls Shepherd "Mr. President", to include close friends playing pool in private.
This is actually the central theme of the movie: Are Andrew Shepherd and the President of the United States two seperate entities, or are they one and the same? And being the President, does Andrew have any right or expectation of a private life?
Expy: Most of the major characters are embryonic versions of the cast of Sorkin's The West Wing, which makes watching it an interesting experience for fans of the show. For instance:
Friendly Address Privileges: Defied Trope: A.J. consistently calls Andrew "Mr. President" even when they're alone, despite them having been the best of friends for years. (When Andrew calls him out on this once, he delivers his reply in the form of a Shout Out to Dr. Seuss.)
A.J.: Nice shot, Mr. President.
Andrew: "Nice shot, Mr. President"?! You won't even call me by my name when we're playing pool?
A.J.: I will not do it playing pool. I will not do it in a school. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them. Sam—
Andrew: At ease, AJ. At ease!
Gilligan Cut: When the amount of coverage starts to heat up, Sydney goes to the White House, telling her sister that she plans to end their relationship. She ends up consummating it instead.
Hey, It's That Guy!: Filled with character actors you're bound to recognize, including Samantha Mathis, David Paymer, and Anne Haney.
Ironic Echo: "My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I *am* the President!"
It's Not You, It's My Enemies: An inversion as it's Sydney who proposes they stay away from each other until after the election is over so as to not hurt his re-election chances.
Mood Whiplash: After Andrew and Sydney consumate their relationship, a montage follows of the media pouncing all over the pair, as their dating starts dropping his approval numbers and Rumson begins to gain momentum by dragging their relationship through the mud.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Sen. Rumson is pretty obviously based on Bob Dole. Shepherd and his staff are likewise heavily based on various people in the Clinton Administration.
Production Posse: Sorkin's "good luck charm" Joshua Malina has his usual small role, along with a bunch of other actors who would pop up in later Sorkin projects, including Martin Sheen (A. J./President Bartlet), Anna Deavere Smith (Robin McCall/NSA Nancy McNally), and Nina Siemaszko (Beth Wade/Ellie Bartlet).
Reality Subtext: This film was made during the Clinton administration, when two main criticisms of the then-president concerned Hillary Clinton's influence in presidential matters, and about Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs.
Right Behind Me: During her initial meeting with A.J. MacInerny, Sydney Wade verbally tears into President Shepherd for his refusal to give her environmental group's cause as much support as they want. Midway through her rant, Shepherd quietly enters the room and stands behind her, introducing himself only when she finishes. Later, though, when she apologizes to him, he takes it all in stride, reminding her that being viciously criticized like that is all a part of his job as President.
Rousing Speech: The climax is Shepherd delivering one of these. And an awesome one at that.
Sarcastic Confession: Not done on purpose, but when Shepard introduces himself over the phone to Wade she doesn't believe him. She then proceeds to mock him, figuring he was a friend pulling a prank. Shepard then gives her the White House number with his extension in order to convince her.
Shown Their Work: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more accurate portrayal of the day-to-day workings of the White House. The sets would be re-used for The West Wing.
What the Hell, Hero?: Louis gives this one to Shepherd, but he has a good response to it.
"World of Cardboard" Speech: Shepard's final speech where he addresses the whole controversy and admits his own faults both in his relationship with Sydney and with the stance he needed to make with policies and bills as the President.
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