Think of Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) as being the blueprint for The West Wing's Josiah Bartlet. Both are flawed but brilliant center-left presidents. Both struggle to balance the competing priorities of their their once-cherished ideals and their anemic approval ratings. Both are supported by loyal Chiefs of Staff, and both speak exclusively in the kind of rapid-fire, witty banter that's since come to define the style of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
This Rob Reiner film is actually a love story as well as a political drama: Shepherd, a widower, falls for an environmental lobbyist while trying to pass a crime control bill to boost his approval ratings. When he loses her for not championing her bill instead, he makes the bold decision to toss the weak crime bill and pick up an even stronger environmental package. It's a decision that wins her over, inspires his supporters, and reminds him why he got into politics to begin with. It's a Sorkin story, of course, so all it takes for good to triumph is for the protagonist to learn a simple lesson and give a nice speech while the orchestra plays and the bad guys hang their heads in shame. It's a fantasy, in other words, albeit one boosted by sharp writing and mature themes, but it's impossible not to get swept up in the sap and cheer him on anyway. Shepherd earns a spot here for political savvy and commitment to his ideals.
