 Ah, the U.S. presidency, the most powerful position on the planet, the post for the leader of the free world and an office attached to numerous legendary names, such as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. It’s not easy to view such famous names as men first and presidents second.
Thankfully, that’s where Hollywood comes in, doing some of its finest work not by recreating real presidencies on the big screen, but by creating fictional ones. A fact that brings us to our own top 10 fictional presidents, who have made it onto our list based on their desirable leadership merits -- such as intelligence, strength, honor, oratorical skills, and military service -- just to name a few.
Number 10 President Harry Ashton Vantage Point
It was only a matter of time before William Hurt played one of the 10 fictional presidents, and deservedly so; Ashton is the consummate politician, as concerned with unfolding events as he is with how much sympathy he can generate from an attempted assassination.
Defining moment: President Ashton, seemingly handcuffed by the fact that he’s just been shot, goes from shell-shocked civilian to hard-nosed man of action, proclaiming “I’m done talking!”
Number 9 President Bill Mitchell Dave
Played by Kevin Kline, Dave Kovic takes the reigns of his lookalike President Mitchell's administration when the real president is incapacitated by a stroke. The upstanding Kovic doesn’t forget where he comes from and fights for the little guy because that’s exactly who he is: The little guy. Specifically, he was running an employment agency before getting the call to stand in for the real, and ailing, President Mitchell.
Defining moment: Dave Kovic reworks the budget to squeeze out $650 million for an employment program to help the homeless -- a daring act given Mitchell's political leanings (he's assumed to be a republican), and one that makes him one of our top 10 fictional presidents.
Number 8 President Andrew Shepherd The American President
Michael Douglas portrays the widower President Shepherd admirably. And although his administration seems a little like it’s on cruise control for much of the film, his turning point and defining moment do redeem him before the closing credits roll.
Defining moment: President Shepherd goes from moderate and wishy-washy to having a backbone when he defends his character against partisan attacks and sends a controversial bill to congress.
Number 7 President Jackson Evans The Contender
Jeff Bridges’ President Evans really steals the show in The Contender. Specifically, he’s charismatic, he has a ton of presence and he has the conviction to stand up for what he believes is right -- even when it means supporting an unpopular, scandal-tainted choice for VP.
Defining moment: Addressing both houses of congress, President Evans insists that congress vote on his choice for a VP and do it on camera, for the nation to see.
Number 6 President Jordan Lyman Seven Days in May
During the Cold War, President Lyman -- played by two-time Oscar winner Fredric March -- not only fights to secure an important arms-reduction treaty against opposition from both the public and from the Pentagon, but he also battles the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who is busy plotting a coup against him.
Defining moment: President Lyman negotiates an arms-reduction treaty with Russia, believing it’s best for the country despite his already-declining popularity and the widespread opposition to the treaty. Number 5 President Thomas J. Whitmore Independence Day
Bill Pullman’s President Whitmore is a former fighter pilot; job experience that proves extremely fruitful when he volunteers to hop in a fighter jet and take on invading aliens like he was an ordinary Joe and not the leader of the free world.
Defining moment: President Whitmore gives a brief, inspirational address to his fellow Americans who are about to fight alien invaders. It’s a bit rough around the edges -- not unlike the president himself -- but an inspiration nonetheless.
Number 4 President Tom Beck Deep Impact
Played by Morgan Freeman, President Beck is a thoughtful, hard-nosed statesman whose administration is faced with arguably a greater threat than any leader on this list or in history: The total destruction of the planet by an asteroid. Beck steps up to the plate and truly defines his role as “leader of the free world.”
Defining moment: Tough times demand action and the Earth’s looming encounter with a giant asteroid forces President Beck to declare martial law, as well as to decide who will and who will not be part of the new “Noah’s Ark” inside the caves of Missouri.
Number 3 President James Marshall Air Force One
A president who is willing to take down terrorists one by one, all by himself? Who could have expected anything less from a president whose CV includes frequent stints as Indiana Jones? While we don’t learn a whole lot about the Marshall administration during Air Force One, you get the feeling this is one president who could handle Teddy Roosevelt one-on-one.
Defining moment: President Marshall feigns escaping a hijacked Air Force One -- which, considering his role as leader of the free world he really shouldn't have done -- so he can fight the terrorist mano-a-mano.
Number 2 President David Palmer 24
Dennis Haysbert’s President Palmer is among the greatest of statesmen, one who understands the importance of keeping one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer. It’s tough to gauge his administration based on two days, but he comes across as one of the more flawed -- and, therefore, human -- presidents in Hollywood’s history.
Defining moment: President Palmer refuses to order military strikes against certain unspecified countries until he can verify that they are behind a plot to blow up Los Angeles, even in the face of opposition from virtually his entire cabinet.
Number 1 President Josiah Bartlet The West Wing
Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet is everything you can ask for in a leader: He’s intelligent, idealistic, realistic, compassionate, funny, flawed yet confident, and loaded with charisma. His love for his country and his own family is perhaps too ideally portrayed, but only when set against reality. In other words, it’s not realistic to expect the next president to be just like Bartlet, but he’s a great figure for future presidents to aspire to.
Defining moment: It’s tough to pick a moment that defines President Bartlet, in large part because his portrayal was so much longer than the rest of our top 10 fictional commander in chiefs, but maybe it’s when his daughter is kidnapped in retaliation for an assassination he ordered. Worried for both his family and the nation itself, he momentarily cedes power to the speaker of the house, despite the fact the speaker is not from his party.
hail to the fiction
A common criticism of the presidency is that it’s simply too big a job for one person, and this is probably true. Perhaps this is what makes fictional presidents so much more acceptable; they are tasked with fulfilling the role as we would like it to be filled, not as it can be filled, and in the process we’re able to understand how extraordinary things can be when the right person comes along.
|
