10 Election Movies To Get You In The Voting Spirit
Celebrate your civic duty with an election-themed movie night.
America loves its political movies. From satires like Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb to gripping dramas like The Trial of the Chicago 7, Hollywood will never fail to turn a moment from America’s 250-year history into a feature film. But amidst all the movies about political corruption or legal cases, there are also movies that primarily focus on elections and all the drama behind them.
With another election night upon us, you can celebrate your civic duty with an election-themed movie night if a simple “I Voted” sticker isn’t enough. Check out our list of 10 election movies that can also help you pass the time as results pour in across the country.
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Released during the height of US-Soviet tensions, The Manchurian Candidate stars Laurence Harvey as Korean War veteran Raymond Shaw, who was captured and brainwashed by communists to act as a sleeper assassin. But where does the election tie in? After being manipulated by Shaw’s mother Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury), his stepfather, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), seeks the president bid in an upcoming election to enact an authoritarian regime. The Manchurian Candidate is a gripping Cold War spy thriller that tapped into American anxieties around communism. However, if the original 1962 film with Frank Sinatra isn’t your cup of tea, the film was remade in 2004 starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber.
The Candidate (1972)
In 1968, Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy ran for president against incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam War campaign. McCarthy’s speechwriter, Jeremy Larner, later penned The Candidate, a satire about what goes into a political campaign. In the movie, Robert Redford plays Bill McKay, the son of former governor John McKay (Melvyn Douglas), who enters the race to be California’s senator. Originally popular for freely speaking his mind, McKay later moderates his stances to appeal to the polls at the cost of his beliefs. In a 1972 review, The New York Times called The Candidate “one of the few good, truly funny American political comedies ever made.”
All the President’s Men (1976)
All the President’s Men is set against the backdrop of the 1972 election, when incumbent President Richard Nixon won against Democratic Sen. George McGovern in a landslide. Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) cover the break-in at Washington D.C.’s Watergate Hotel by the White House Plumbers, which snowballs from a minor case to a national conspiracy of political sabotage tied to Nixon’s Committee for the Re-election of the President (CREEP) organization. Much has been said about Watergate and its impacts on public trust in the government, but All the President’s Men easily stands as one of the most iconic films made about American political history.
Wag the Dog (1997)
After the president is implicated in a sex scandal that threatens his chances at re-election, he fabricates a war to divert media attention. Robert De Niro plays “spin doctor” Conrad Bean, the brains behind this genius strategy. To bring it to life, he enlists Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to film a fake war with Albania, complete with staged news footage, a theme song, and fake footage of an orphan running away to curry sympathy from the American public. For a satire about the dangerous interaction between media and politics, Wag the Dog will surely leave you laughing (and thinking).
Primary Colors (1998)
John Travolta stars in Primary Colors as Jack Stanton, the governor of Arkansas seeking the Democratic nomination for president. The movie follows his staffer Henry (Adrian Lester) as Stanton’s campaign tackles scandal after scandal, from Stanton’s past arrests to his extramarital affairs, and their investigations into any incriminating information that could be used against Stanton’s opponent, Florida Gov. Fred Picker (Larry Hagman). Loosely inspired by Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, Primary Colors is a cautionary tale about ambition, exploring what you lose when you try to win at all costs.
Election (1999)
Ask anyone who ran for student government, and they’ll probably tell you getting elected was an intense process. Election, starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, might take place in a high school, but its election is just as high-stakes as any national one. When junior Tracy (Witherspoon) runs opposed for student government, civics teacher Jim (Broderick) convinces popular football player Paul (Chris Klein) to join the race and spoil her chances. What ensues is a chaotic tale of ambition, betrayal, and sabotage. If you ever wanted to see what would happen if Washington D.C. crossed paths with Mean Girls, this is the movie for you.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
I don’t care what you say, Napoleon Dynamite totally counts as an election movie. Gosh! In case you haven’t seen the cult classic yet, 16-year-old socially awkward loner Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) befriends new immigrant student Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and helps him become class president. For a lighthearted watch, don’t miss the charming coming-of-age humor—plus its stunning dance sequence to Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat”. Don’t forget your “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt.
Milk (2008)
Sean Penn stars in this biopic as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to California public office. After Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) move to the Castro, one of the first gay neighborhoods in America, Milk becomes a political activist for gay rights in San Francisco. Milk follows Harvey Milk’s political life, from his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to his history lobbying and later assassination by former fellow Supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin). Want to learn more about ’70s America? Interested in the gay rights movement? You won’t want to miss Milk.
The Ides of March (2011)
Ryan Gosling stars in The Ides of March as Stephen Meyers, press secretary for Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney) as he pursues the Democratic presidential nomination. However, after meeting with Ted Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the campaign manager for Morris’ rival, Meyers pursues an aggressive, ruthless strategy to ensure victory at all costs, embroiling him in scandal. For a political thriller about playing dirty (or simply playing politics), you won’t find better than The Ides of March. Et tu?
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Adapted from Casey McQuiston’s 2019 hit YA romance novel, Red, White & Royal Blue stars Taylor Zakhar-Perez and Nicholas Galitzine respectively as Alex Claremont-Diaz, first son of the United States, and Prince Henry, third in line to the British throne. After a long-standing feud between Alex and Henry comes to a boil at a state event, the two are forced into many public appearances together as “friends.” But as every good enemies-to-lovers story goes, the pair go from “friends” to real friends, and then to secret lovers. During their burgeoning relationship, Alex helps his mother Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman), the first female president in American history, seek re-election, instituting a plan to flip Texas blue in her favor.
