US elections: fifteen American films about politics that are worth watching instead of a doomscroller

It’s not even a New Zealand election, but we understand that. You are stressed.

America will will elect its next president on Wednesday New Zealand timechoosing between former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

You really can’t watch campaign news non-stop without breaking your brain, but you’re still in the mood to watch something political.

The presidency has been the subject of countless films, good and bad, from lofty biopics to action-packed dramas.

Here are 15 movies about American presidents and politics that are worth watching to distract your brain for a few hours as Election Day approaches.

If you want to feel a little optimistic:

American President (1995): A truly sweet romantic comedy about a widowed president who finds new love, starring the flamboyant Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, written by Aaron Sorkin, who later created West wing Series. (Available for rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Lincoln (2012): Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning performance takes Abraham Lincoln out of the realm of cliché and once again makes him a complex man, struggling with how to end slavery in Civil War-torn America and trying to do the right thing. (Available for rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939): Jimmy Stewart’s naive young American senator rails against corruption in Washington. What makes Frank Capra’s classic still relevant today is its fierce desire to make politics better. (Available for rent on Apple TV.)

If you just want to get bogged down in political intrigue:

Frost/Nixon (2008): Many films have been made about Richard Nixon, but this narrowly focused film is based on one post-presidential interview in which the disgraced president tries to redeem himself. Tense dialogue and amazing acting make the sight of two men mostly sitting in chairs and talking exciting. (Available for rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

All the President’s Men (1976): Nixon never appears in this Oscar-winning Watergate drama, but hovers like an evil specter as journalists Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman uncover the intricate scandal that led to America’s first and only president’s resignation. (Available on Netflix, and for rental on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

John Kennedy (1991): Oliver Stone’s mammoth three-hour epic is a tangled knot of conspiracy theories, paranoia and fraud, making it the perfect setting for the 2024 election. star cast. (Available on Disney+ and to rent on Apple TV.)

If you think politics is funny:

Elections (1999): Not strictly speaking about the President, but this classic story of an American high school election gone awry shows how much the desire to win can eat away at a person. With the unsurpassed Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. (Available on Netflix or available to rent on Apple TV, Google, YouTube and Neon.)

Don’t look up (2021): The United States has yet to have a female president, and there are quite a few in the movies, too. (Television is a completely different story, where female presidents have been seen on Vice President, Scandal, Homeland and many other shows.) This satire about panic over an Earth-destroying comet has its funny moments, and features Meryl Streep as the president—unfortunately, she’s a shallow, poll-obsessed fool who miserably screws up the end of the world. . (Available on Netflix.)

Mars attacks! (1996): Love Beetlejuice? Tim Burton’s underrated epic comic features a gallery of weird Americans fighting Martians, and one of the funniest turns is Jack Nicholson as the slightly sleazy, cocky and completely unprepared President. (Available for rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

If you have given up all hope in America:

Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): Stanley Kubrick’s satire of the Cold War still stings, with the excellent Peter Sellers in several roles, none as indelible as the expressionless President Merkin Muffley, who apologetically starts a nuclear war. (Available for rental on Apple TV and Neon.)

Vice (2018): Christian Bale plays the unlikely Dick Cheney in this biopic of George W. Bush’s vice president, which in broadly comic form shows just how much ambitious power can be wielded behind the scenes. (Available on Netflix or to rent on Apple TV.)

Civil war (2024): A film about a traumatized group of journalists traveling through an America torn by an unspecified civil war. It’s not worth watching if you want to celebrate US opportunity, with Nick Offerman as a crazy outcast. a thoughtful president presiding over the collapse of the country. (Available on Prime, Neon after November 10, or for rent on Apple TV, Google, YouTube, Neon, AroVision or Academy on Demand.)

If you just want the President to kick some ass:

Air Force One (1997): Harrison Ford lives the American dream, that is, the dream of becoming a military hero who is both president and fights terrorists in his own plane. (Available on Disney+ and to rent on Apple TV.)

White House destroyed (2013): Mix Die Hard With Air Force OneShake, stir and prepare for explosions and shootouts in the White House as terrorists attack and only humble regular cop Channing Tatum can save the day. (Available on Netflix, Neon, Prime Video and for rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012): Sure, you’ve seen the president fight terrorists, but what about vampires? This very silly alternate history horror film takes itself too seriously, but still delivers ridiculous, gory laughs when Honest Abe puts the bloodsuckers on the line. Considering how bizarre the 2024 election campaign has been, this may not be the strangest thing you see about American presidents this week. (Available on Disney+ and to rent on Apple TV, Google and YouTube.)

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