The Presidents on Film

We’ll be holding our elections in the U.S. tomorrow. It’s not quite a choice between John Jackson and Jack Johnson, but the campaigns haven’t been particularly inspiring this year. It’s been a vicious cycle of empty platitudes from the candidates, followed by absurd political anger from voters. It’s not much fun. But movies are fun. Let’s talk about movies, and real US presidents in the movies. Where can you find some U.S. presidents on screen?

Casting a Clinton Biopic

Earlier this week, PBS thrilled my inner history nerd by airing four hours of the American Experience about Bill Clinton. I’ve seen several other PBS American Experience episodes about the Presidents and loved them all. But this one worked on a different level for me. I lived through the Clinton years, and could legally vote for the first time during the Clinton era. It made me nostalgic for the 90s, and it made me a little nostalgic for the wackiness of the Clinton White House. Whether you liked him or hated him, he was a walking headline. In fact, he’d be a perfect source for a biopic. Here’s how I’d cast a movie about the Clinton years in America.