The American President — The Rewatchables Tracker

Back to the movie index

Overall episode#172Source sheet order

Movie year19951990s

Tomatometer90%Critics’ score

Metacritic68View score

Roger Ebert4/4Original star rating

DirectorRob ReinerRomance / Drama

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

A broadly admiring rewatch centered on the film as an elegant, idealized, pre-cynical Washington romance and as a showcase for Aaron Sorkin-style dialogue. The hosts praise its presidential fantasy, Michael Douglas and Annette Bening's performances, and the way the movie blends politics and rom-com structure, while also noting that its White House reverence now feels from another era.

Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

In this conversation

Bill Simmons

Amanda Dobbins

Van Lathan

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

01Michael Douglas's final speech and overall performance are treated as the movie's biggest payoff. About 40 min
02The film's idealized, aspirational White House atmosphere makes it comforting and nostalgic to revisit. About 8 min
03Sorkin dialogue and walk-and-talk energy keep the political material entertaining before the romance fully takes over. Opening minutes
04The pool scenes are fun, visual, and reveal character through the actors' chemistry. About 32 min
05The calling-and-date setup and small romantic beats feel tightly written and charming. About 32 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

moderateThe movie's politics and White House reverence feel very dated in a way that now reads as almost historical fantasy. About 8 min
minorThe daughter and home-life setup is too neat and idealized to feel fully real. About 8 min
minorThe president's dating behavior and the speed of the romance can feel implausible or overly compressed. About 1:04
minorThe White House security and access logic is wildly loose by modern standards. About 1:12
moderateSome of the movie's gender and power dynamics are awkward if examined closely. About 24 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

Lonely widower setup

The early exchange about the president being a lonely widower establishes his character and the movie's emotional tone.

About 8 min

positive

Pool with Martin Sheen

A light, buddy-like pool scene that reinforces the president/chief-of-staff dynamic.

About 32 min

Favorite

The White House phone-date call

The mistaken-call gag turns into a charming presidential move when he uses the real White House number.

About 32 min

positive

Dance scene

The dance sequence is admired as a stylish moment of chemistry and public tenderness.

About 32 min

positive

Morning after in the White House

The chaotic morning-after scene is funny because staff and press immediately surround the new couple.

About 32 min

Favorite

Michael J. Fox confrontation

Fox challenges the president to act like the great leader everyone believed in, and the speech-into-speech structure lands hard.

About 32 min

positive

Second pool argument

The heated pool conversation sharpens the tension between principle and politics.

About 40 min

Favorite

Final speech to Bob Rumson

Andrew Shepherd reclaims the presidency with a soaring character-driven closing monologue.

About 40 min

positive

Ordering flowers

The dogwood/flower exchange is a small comic scene that shows Shepherd's goofy charm.

About 40 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They agreed Opening minutes

Who is the best movie president

Amanda Dobbins
Michael Douglas is number one.

Bill Simmons
Douglas is number one, though other presidents are strong.

Van Lathan
Douglas is among the favorites, but he also likes other options like Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert.

They partly agreed About 16 min

Whether Richard Dreyfuss is modeling Dick Cheney or Bob Dole

Bill Simmons
The performance feels like Bob Dole.

Van Lathan
He reads as Dick Cheney.

Amanda Dobbins
The comparison works in a broader Washington-media sense.

They agreed About 8 min

Whether Sharon Stone would work in the Annette Bening role

Van Lathan
It would be a different movie and too close to Basic Instinct.

Amanda Dobbins
Stone is great, but the role needs a warmer, less threatening tone.

No final agreement About 56 min

How the president would do in the 1996 election

Amanda Dobbins
He could lose because of the scandal, the lobbyist relationship, and political attacks.

Bill Simmons
He wins in a landslide, using Clinton as a model for the political climate.

Van Lathan
The speech and character appeal could galvanize voters, but the movie does not make it certain.

19 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers

very favorableMichael DouglasBill Simmons: Praised as the perfect presidential lead and the engine of the movie, especially in the ending speech. Opening minutes very favorableAnnette BeningAmanda Dobbins: Described as perfect for the role because she balances professionalism, romance, and warmth. About 8 min very favorableAaron SorkinVan Lathan: Credited as a brilliant writer whose dialogue and themes define the film and later Sorkin works. Opening minutes favorableRob ReinerBill Simmons: Praised for helping shape the movie's elegant, romantic tone. Opening minutes very favorableMichael J. FoxVan Lathan: Lauded as a standout supporting presence whose confrontation scene is a favorite. About 32 min favorableMartin SheenBill Simmons: Praised as great in the chief of staff role, though the hosts note the oddity of seeing him not as the president. About 8 min favorableRichard DreyfussVan Lathan: Called a perfect political antagonist who feels like an early Dick Cheney-type figure. About 16 min

neutralDick CheneyVan Lathan: Used as a comparison point for Dreyfuss's character and style. About 16 min

neutralBob DoleVan Lathan: Referenced as a possible model for Dreyfuss's gruff political style. About 16 min favorableBill PullmanBill Simmons: Mentioned as a strong fictional president in Independence Day. About 8 min favorableJeff BridgesBill Simmons: Praised for his presidential role in The Contender. About 8 min favorableMorgan FreemanVan Lathan: Cited as a favorite movie president for Deep Impact. About 8 min favorableDennis HaysbertBill Simmons: Mentioned as a favorite presidential figure from 24. About 8 min mixedRobert RedfordAmanda Dobbins: Discussed as an original intended star who would have changed the film's tone too much. About 48 min favorableMichelle PfeifferAmanda Dobbins: Named as a strong alternate casting option for the Annette Bening role. About 48 min mixedSharon StoneAmanda Dobbins: Considered but rejected as too threatening and too close to her Basic Instinct image. About 8 min neutralDemi MooreAmanda Dobbins: Mentioned via Disclosure casting history and as a comparison point for the era. About 48 min neutralTom CruiseBill Simmons: Used as a contrast case for who should not play the president here. About 1:04

neutralClintonVan Lathan: Referenced as the real-world presidential template Rob Reiner studied for research and as a point of comparison for 1996 politics. About 56 min

12 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them

Bill SimmonsLoved it

The American President as a rewatch

Calls it one of his favorite movies and says it felt like therapy to revisit a simpler presidential fantasy.

Opening minutes

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

The American President as rom-com

Argues it is a great romantic comedy disguised as political drama and a near-perfect Sorkin object.

Opening minutes

Van LathanLoved it

The film's White House idealism

Says the movie feels elegant, aspirational, and therapeutic because it imagines a presidency built on ideals.

Opening minutes

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Michael Douglas as Andrew Shepherd

Ranks Douglas as her favorite movie president and praises the vulnerability he brings to the role.

Opening minutes

Bill SimmonsLoved it

Michael Douglas's career run

Admires Douglas's late-80s/90s hit streak and says this film shows him shifting from erotic thriller star to wholesome lead.

About 8 min

Van LathanLoved it

Michael J. Fox

Says Fox is the moral compass of the movie and stands out in every scene he's in.

About 32 min

Bill SimmonsLiked it

Pool scenes

Likes the two pool scenes as a reliable cheat code and a way to show chemistry.

About 32 min

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

The phone-call date setup

Enjoys the White House number gag and the classic rom-com misdirection around the call.

About 32 min

Van LathanLoved it

Michael J. Fox confronting the president

Calls it one of his favorite movie scenes ever and the emotional center before the speech.

About 32 min

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

The climactic speech

Treats the final monologue as the key payoff for the entire movie and an elite presidential speech scene.

About 40 min

Bill SimmonsLiked it

Politics and character

Frames the film as a study of leadership, character, and the idea that the presidency can still inspire belief.

About 40 min

Van LathanLoved it

Aaron Sorkin

Jokes that Sorkin's crack-fueled writing produced the film's rapid-fire dialogue and helped establish his reputation.

About 1:28

5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Presidency as aspiration

The movie frames the presidency as honorable, intelligent, and worthy of reverence, which the hosts contrast with modern cynicism.

About 8 min

Rom-com disguised as political drama

The hosts emphasize that the movie is effectively a romantic comedy with a political first act.

Opening minutes

Character as politics

They repeatedly return to the idea that the film argues governing is about character, not just policy.

About 32 min

The West Wing precursor

The movie is treated as an early draft or proof-of-concept for Aaron Sorkin's later TV writing.

Opening minutes

Media frenzy around power

They note how the film anticipates the modern celebrity-media machine around presidents and staff.

About 16 min

23 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

Aaron Sorkin later said he wrote the screenplay while high on crack cocaine.

About 1:28

Production note

Rob Reiner followed Bill Clinton around the White House for two days as research.

About 1:28

Production note

Michael J. Fox was concealing early Parkinson's symptoms during filming.

About 40 min

Mentioned with uncertainty

The White House set had a notable production history and was reused across multiple projects.

About 1:28 · medium confidence

Mentioned with uncertainty

The movie reportedly used a three-'fuck' limit for the rating.

About 40 min · medium confidence

Production note

Roger Ebert gave the movie four stars and praised it highly.

About 24 min

Production note

Siskel and Ebert had previously panned North and later praised this film.

About 24 min

Production note

The soundtrack score is singled out as award-worthy and repeatedly hummed.

About 24 min

The West Wing

Used as the obvious creative descendant of the film's Sorkin style and White House world.

Opening minutes

Dave

Cited as the quintessential presidential movie, in contrast to this film's White House setting.

Opening minutes

The Contender

Mentioned as a favorite fictional-presidency film, especially for Jeff Bridges.

About 8 min

Deep Impact

Referenced for Morgan Freeman's stern crisis-president role.

About 8 min

24

Mentioned for Dennis Haysbert's presidential role, and later as a model of a suddenly famous staff/presidency culture.

About 8 min

Independence Day

Used as another example of a beloved movie president.

About 8 min

The Devil Wears Prada

Promoted in a commercial break as a future Rewatchables TV presentation.

Opening minutes · low confidence

North

Cited as a previous Rob Reiner film that Ebert and Siskel harshly criticized.

About 24 min

White House Down

Used as an example of the later wave of White House-under-attack films.

About 48 min

London Has Fallen

Another example of White House attack movies from a later era.

About 48 min

A Few Good Men

Referenced as an earlier Sorkin landmark and an old Rewatchables episode.

About 1:04

Disclosure

Discussed as an alternate casting universe for Annette Bening and Michael Douglas.

About 48 min

Basic Instinct

Used to explain why Sharon Stone would shift the film's tone too far toward erotic thriller territory.

About 8 min

The Social Network

Cited as another Sorkin peak and as the likely apex of his career.

About 1:28

Family Ties

Referenced to explain Michael J. Fox's career and Alex P. Keaton's political identity.

About 40 min

11 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

Movie president rankings

The hosts keep returning to lists of favorite fictional presidents and swapping rankings.

Opening minutes

Sorkin nerding out

Amanda repeatedly identifies as a Sorkin fan and points out West Wing overlap.

Opening minutes

Contemporary politics comparison

They keep contrasting the movie's idealized presidency with modern political cynicism.

About 8 min

Dick Cheney / Bob Dole comparison game

Van and Bill turn Dreyfuss's performance into a running political-figure analogy.

About 16 min

Michael J. Fox admiration

Fox's small size, moral authority, and energy are treated as recurring strengths.

About 32 min

White House access jokes

They mock how easily Sidney moves in and out of the White House and how unrealistic the security is.

About 1:12

Van Lathan

“you can call me by my name”

About 8 min

Amanda Dobbins

“It's called The West Wing”

Opening minutes

Bill Simmons

“people don't drink the sand”

About 32 min

Van Lathan

“I'm gonna make a list”

About 40 min

Bill Simmons

“I'm just going to hop out”

About 40 min

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where The American President is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before The American President, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.

ON THE MIC

3 voices on this episode

Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables

Amanda DobbinsThe Rewatchables

Van LathanThe Rewatchables

REWATCH FAVS

One of your favorites?

Upvote it for the live listener ranking.

YOUR PROGRESS

Save this one to your tracker

KEEP LISTENING

Hear the full conversation

Play the episode directly from the official feed, open it on Spotify, or save it to your private Listen Later playlist.

Play episode Find on Spotify