25 best election movies ever

The Candidate (1972)

Written by a presidential candidate’s speechwriter, The Candidate addresses a question that’s become more increasingly poignant in an age of multi-billion dollar campaign spends: once you’ve got yourself elected, what do you do next? Robert Redford stars in this searching drama.

Bob Roberts (1992)

Tim Robbins is the writer, director and star of this mockumentary about a conservative folk singer up for election to the US Senate. Republicans might think they’re the target of Robbins’ satire – and to a large extent they are – but he also aims to show how the hippie ideals of the late 60s and 70s didn’t really alter the political landscape of the USA, where greed, venality and self-interest still rule the roost. Also notable for the fact that Roberts’ Democrat rival in the Senate race is played by none other than Gore Vidal.

The Last Hurrah (1958)

John Ford took a break from his epic Westerns to tell this sentimental story of an ageing Irish-American politician running for mayor in a New England city. Spencer Tracy’s Frank Skeffington must contend with a hostile media and a young, photogenic conservative challenger.

The American President (1995)

Michael Douglas is a widowed Commander–In–Chief who falls for Annette Bening’s environmental lobbyist in this romantic dramedy. The pair’s burgeoning relationship threatens Douglas’ chances of reelection, as his scheming rival Richard Dreyfuss seeks to use any means to get into the White House. Co-stars Martin Sheen, who has some experience in Presidential drama.

All The President’s Men (1976)

Set during the run-up to the 1972 US election, this is the true story of how two Washington Post journalists – played here by Hollywood royalty Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman – stumbled across a plot by the then President Nixon’s office to cover up links to a politically-motivated break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s Watergate HQ. Nixon was implicated in a further coverup and decided to resign before he was impeached.