Harrison Ford in Air Force One, Meryl Streep in Don’t Look Up and Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks! are just a few of the many American presidents on screen.
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It’s not even a New Zealand election, but we understand. You are stressed.

America will NZ Time to elect its next president on WednesdayIt will be decided between former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

You can’t browse campaign news endlessly without straining your brain, but you’re still in the mood to watch something political.

The presidency has been the subject of countless movies, good and bad, from glossy biopics to action-packed plays.

Here are 15 fire-worthy movies about American presidents and politics to keep your brain occupied for a few hours as Election Day approaches.

Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Photograph: Screenshot / Provided

If you want to feel some optimism:

American President (1995): A truly sweet romantic comedy about a widowed president finding new love, starring the radiant Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. West Wing TV series. (Available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Lincoln’s (2012): Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning performance takes Abraham Lincoln out of the world of clichés and turns him into a complex person again; He struggles with how to end slavery in an America torn apart by the Civil War and tries to get his way. right thing. (Available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): Jimmy Stewart’s naive young U.S. senator opposes corruption in Washington. What makes Frank Capra’s classic still relevant today is its fierce determination to change politics for the better. (Can be rented on Apple TV.)

Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon.
Photograph: Screenshot / Provided

If you just want to wallow in political intrigue:

Frost/Nixon (2008): Many movies have been made about Richard Nixon, but this tightly focused film confines itself to a post-presidency interview in which the disgraced president tries to redeem himself. The tense dialogue and great acting make the conversation between the two men, mostly sitting in chairs, riveting. (Available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

All the President’s Men (1976): Nixon makes no appearance in this Oscar-winning Watergate drama, but he hovers over the film like a malevolent specter as journalists Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman uncover a labyrinthine scandal that led to America’s first and only presidential resignation. (Available on Netflix and available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

JFK (1991): Oliver Stone’s massive three-hour epic is a twisted tangle of conspiracy theories, paranoia and con artists; hence perfect weather for the 2024 Election. This is a complex and indulgent film that is still somehow fascinating. star cast. (Available on Disney+ and available to rent on Apple TV.)

Reese Witherspoon is on Election.
Photograph: Screenshot / Provided

If you think the policy is ridiculous:

Vote (1999): While obviously not exactly about a president, this classic tale of an American high school student election gone horribly wrong encapsulates how much the will to win can eat away at a person. With Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick who are never better. (Available to rent on Netflix or on Apple TV, Google, YouTube and Neon.)

don’t look up (2021): The United States has yet to have a female president, and they are pretty weak in the movies. (A different story with female presidents on television Veep, Scandal, Homeland (and many other shows.) This hit-and-miss satire about the panic created by an Earth-destroying comet has some fun moments and features Meryl Streep as president—unfortunately she’s a shallow, poll-obsessed idiot who’s planning the end of the world in a bad way He does it this way. . (Available on Netflix.)

Mars Attacks! (1996): Love insect juice? Tim Burton’s underrated comic book epic features a rogue’s gallery of strange Americans fighting Martians, and one of the funniest turns is Jack Nicholson as a vaguely sleazy, smug and completely unprepared president. (Available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Peter Sellers, MD. In Strangelove.
Photograph: Screenshot / Provided

If you have given up all hope on America:

Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. (1964): Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War satire, starring the great Peter Sellers in multiple roles, still stings today; none more indelible than the laid-back President Merkin Muffley, who unapologetically started a nuclear war. (Available to rent on Apple TV and Neon.)

Deputy (2018): Christian Bale plays an unlikely Dick Cheney in this biopic about George W. Bush’s vice president; This shows, in a generally humorous way, how ambitious power can be wielded behind the scenes. (Available on Netflix or rentable on Apple TV.)

Civil war (2024): A film about a traumatized group of journalists traveling through an America torn by an undetermined civil war. It’s not a movie to watch if you want to be cheerful about what the USA has to offer; Nick Offerman is a crazy, extraordinary guy. a profound president who presided over the country’s collapse. (After November 10, it can be rented on Prime, Neon, or on Apple TV, Google, YouTube, Neon, AroVision, or Academy on Demand.)

Channing Tatum is in the White House.
Photograph: Screenshot / Provided

If you want a president to kick ass:

Air Force One (1997): Harrison Ford lives the American dream; That is, his dream of being a military hero who is also president and fights against terrorists in his own plane, taking responsibility. (Available on Disney+ and available to rent on Apple TV.)

The White House Has Fallen (2013): Tangled Die Hard with Air Force OneYou shake, stir and settle in the face of explosions and gunfire at the White House as terrorists attack and only humble everyday police officer Channing Tatum can save the day. (Available on Netflix, Neon, Prime Video, and available to rent on Apple TV, Google, and YouTube.)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012): Sure you’ve seen a president fight terrorists, but what about vampires? This very silly alternate history horror movie takes itself way too seriously, but provides some ridiculous, gory laughs as Honest Abe screws over the bloodsuckers. Considering how weird the 2024 election campaign has been so far, this might not be the weirdest thing you’ve seen about American presidents this week. (Available on Disney+ and available to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

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