The secret to a great movie president
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Every Fourth of July, I inevitably end up watching a movie with a fictional president.
This year, it was Bill Pullman rallying humanity before taking on an alien invasion in “Independence Day.”
Some years, it’s Harrison Ford punching terrorists at 30,000 feet in “Air Force One.” It’s even been Morgan Freeman calmly addressing the nation as the world faces extinction in “Deep Impact.”
Hollywood has given us some unforgettable commanders-in-chief. And that got me wondering: What’s the secret to being a great movie president?
After some thought, I realized the answer is shockingly simple: They’re fictional.
I know that’s obvious, but think about it. Movie presidents have one enormous advantage over every real president in history: They are literally created to be awesome.
When aliens attack, they don’t stay in a bunker. They climb into a fighter jet.
When terrorists hijack Air Force One, they don’t negotiate. They throw the bad guys into the night sky.
When a giant asteroid is headed toward Earth, they somehow know exactly the right words to calm an entire nation.
Real presidents don’t get script rewrites. Movie presidents do.
I know presidents have speechwriters — but none of them have Aaron Sorkin penning them, let alone the all-around awesomeness of Harrison Ford.
The Mount Rushmore of movie presidents
Sure, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt grace the mountain face of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. But what presidents’ chiseled jawlines would be chiseled into the soil of the Hollywood hills?
For my money, these are the four front-runners.
1. Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore in “Independence Day”
Let’s be honest: This might be the greatest presidential speech ever put on film. You don’t even have to finish the quote.
“Today, we celebrate our…”
Half of you already know how it ends.
By the time he’s climbing into that fighter jet, we’re all ready to follow him into battle. Against aliens.
Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even running for reelection. However, he has my vote.
2. Harrison Ford as President James Marshall in “Air Force One”
James Marshall’s presidential resume is remarkably short, but what we do know is this: He loves his family. He refuses to negotiate with terrorists. And he delivers one of the greatest action movie lines of the 1990s:
“Get off my plane.”
Honestly, that line alone is enough to earn a spot on the mountain. Truth be told, Harrison Ford’s President Marshall is so effortlessly cool that the mountain probably just formed itself into his likeness.
3. Morgan Freeman as President Beck in “Deep Impact”
Not every great movie president needs to throw a punch. Sometimes all they need is that voice.
If we were facing extinction from an asteroid — and I knew Bruce Willis wasn’t around — I have to admit, hearing Morgan Freeman’s voice telling me that, regardless of what happens, “it’ll be OK,” would make me feel better. In fact, he’d probably calm me enough to nod off in my recliner and quietly await the apocalypse.
And if you can pull that off, then you’re my president regardless of political parties.
Beck’s speeches — or more so his voice — don’t make you want to charge into battle; they make you think everything might somehow be OK.
That’s a superpower, too.
4. Kevin Kline as Dave Kovic (not President Bill Mitchell) in “Dave”
Was he actually president? No. Did he break an absurd amount of laws? Absolutely. Was he qualified? Not even close. Do I care? Not at all.
Dave Kovic was just an ordinary guy pretending to be the president of the United States, and he did a better job than anyone who wasn’t pretending.
“Davie” is a brilliant reminder that kindness, honesty and common sense can still accomplish quite a bit. It’s one of those movies that leaves you smiling long after the credits roll — and wishing that Dave actually would run for office.
Hollywood’s favorite fantasy
Of course, we love these presidents. Hollywood designed them that way.
Movies are built on wish-fulfillment. The underdog wins, the last-second shot goes in, the kiss happens before the credits, the dog finds its way home, and the dream house somehow stays on the market until the main character realizes that’s where they belonged all along.
And the president?
He always gives the right speech, the music swells at the right moment, and everyone suddenly knows exactly what they’re fighting for. Not to mention, their films typically fade to black when we’re on a high, so we never see the downfall or the inevitable mistakes to come.
If only real life came with a soundtrack and a strong writer stroking the keys.
Why we keep coming back
Maybe that’s why these characters have stuck around for decades. Not because we confuse them with reality, but because movies give us permission to imagine a world where courage always wins, the right words arrive exactly when they’re needed, and impossible problems somehow find satisfying solutions in about two hours.
Real life is a little messier than that, thankfully. Because if movies have taught us anything, it’s that stories only work because they’re carefully written. Life isn’t.
Still, every now and then — especially around the Fourth of July — it’s fun to spend an evening with a president who can defeat an alien invasion, single-handedly stop terrorists, inspire a nation with a speech, and still make it home in time for the fireworks.