The Contender (2000)

The Long Review:

If your eyes were glued to the TV like a kid seeing his first porn during the Clinton sex scandal, you'll appreciate The Contender. This political drama is about a female Senator, Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) who's been nominated by the President (Jeff Bridges) to succeed the recently-deceased ex-Vice President. (We're not told how he died but we're guessing he overexerted himself while um…working out with a White House intern.) Sounds simple enough, right? NOT! Following in Clinton's sticky footsteps, Ms. Hanson experiences the nightmare of having her sex life become everyone's business when the opposition, led by Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman), exposes a particularly wild sexual romp she allegedly had in college. Why? Because he wants his favoured candidate, Jack Hathaway (William Petersen) to become Vice. Why? Because Hanson's a woman. And God forbid there be a woman right under the President. (God, no! She's gotta be ON the President! Hee-haw!) So there goes Hanson's Vice Presidency nomination, hanging precariously by a thread probably as fine as that of the underwear she (un)wore as a promiscuous college co-ed.

And as for this Jack Hathaway dude, he was the sure pick for the Vice Presidency until a fishing accident. No, he didn't die. But somebody else did! A car drove off a bridge and plunged into the water right beside his boat. Off Jack Hathaway jumps into the freezing water…and off the driver goes to her death. What a waste. The victim dies, anyway…and so do Hathaway's chances to be the next Vice President. Because apparently, on one gives a hoot about a guy who tried to save somebody and failed; people care about a guy who tried to save somebody and succeeded. Boo-hoo. Tsk-tsk. Years of serving the American people dumped down the drain because of one tragic mishap. Perhaps he was better off just watching the doomed car sink.

What's the truth? The untruth? Who's the bad guy? The good guy? Who's your daddy? It's questions like these that will keep you enthralled the entire time, captivated by all the drama and intrigue. You'll find yourself not even wanting to blink, in case you miss one, tiny detail. We told you it's a lot like the Clinton sexual scandal!

And the acting isn't bad at all. The cast really knows how to strut their stuff and put on their political duds. For long hauls, it'll feel like you're watching The White House Unplugged. The dialogue, the scenery, the behaviour…they're so real, it's freaky (pun intended). Joan Allen as Laine Hanson is the perfect picture of a poised politician who manages to keep her head high while her reputation is dragged in the mud. Jeff Bridges does a great job of playing a likeable but equally cunning President. We're not exactly sure if a President such as the one that Jeff Bridges plays can actually exist but it sure was nice to watch one for two hours and pretend. And Gary Oldman as the manipulative, bitter leader of the opposition is goooood. He's so good he's bad. Maybe if his character had gotten acquainted with Ms. Hanson during college, he wouldn't be so bitter. Hehehe.

All kidding aside, The Contender is a sophisticated, intelligent movie that is not afraid to tackle a controversial, even dangerous, subject matter. It throws out some pretty juicy stuff. It gives the audience the credit they deserve by presenting them with a complicated plot, expecting them to absorb it and understand. According to Roger Ebert, "The Contender takes sides and is bold about it. Most movies are like puppies that want everyone to pet them." We couldn't have said it better ourselves! This movie makes it very clear where it stands in the political pole. It doesn't candy-coat or mince words. It's brutal, probing, and mesmerizing (now why does that sound kinky?). And it has everything: drama, deception, and sex…aaah, everything that makes up politics. With all this good stuff, how can it lose?