The 20 best election movies

Frank Sinatra stars in this cold war-centric psychological thriller that was also remade in 2004 with Denzel Washington as the star. Sinatra's character's control of Robert Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a brainwashed former war hero who eventually is set up to assassinate a presidential candidate, showcases a couple of strong acting performances. There's plenty of intrigue and twists in both versions of the film, but the original is still the one to seek out. 

Former secretary of state William Russell (Henry Fonda) and United States senator Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson) star in this 1960s political drama with a screenplay written by Gore Vidal. The two are vying for the presidential nomination of their political party, and, of course, both go to interesting and somewhat questionable lengths to be victorious. 

John Cassellis (Robert Forster) is a hardened television cameraman covering the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. While on the job, Cassellis takes a liking to a single mom (Verna Bloom) and also befriends her son. With the volatile convention as a backdrop, Cassellis lets his guard down and gives into feelings he wasn't aware he possessed.

Bill McKay (Robert Redford) is thrust into a presidential campaign by a controlling democratic political operative (Peter Boyle) in this popular comedy-drama that produced an Oscar-winning screenplay. McKay is a good-natured guy who might not seem cut out for the rigid and dirty world of politics. He manages to progress during the process and make a run toward a potentially surprising victory. 

We're including this on a technicality. The setting of this Warren Beatty vehicle is on the day of the 1968 presidential election in which Richard Nixon won. The only electioneering that's done in the movie is that of sexual and social politics. Julie Christie and Carrie Fisher, in her film debut, fare well opposite Beatty's hair-dressing heartthrob George Roundy. 

Regarded as one of the great political films of all time. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman deliver memorable performances as The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively. Together, they unveil the deep undertaking of the infamous Watergate scandal involving President Richard Nixon's re-election committee. The intrigue and drama are pretty much non-stop.

Based on a little-known Saturday Night Live character played by Tim Robbins when he hosted the popular sketch comedy show. Robbins wrote, directed, and donned the titular role in this mockumentary film about an ultra-conservative, wealthy, folk-singing United States Senate candidate. Wholesome on the surface but fraudulent underneath, Roberts and this film have flown under the radar for years but are worth checking out.

Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is a present-day secret service agent still fighting the demons of being on the detail when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Now, he's trying to keep the current president, who happens to be on the campaign trail, safe from a dangerous and demented former CIA agent (John Malkovich) looking to do similar harm. 

The only documentary to make this list. The War Room, directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, chronicles Bill Clinton's campaign for president in 1992. Political junkies of any party will enjoy the honest and in-depth look at life on the campaign trail. While Clinton is the focus, aides James Carville and George Stephanopoulos are the real stars of the project. 

While we don't exactly see the results of the presidential election, the build-up to the State of the Union address is the theme of this Rob Reiner/Aaron Sorkin classic. Widowed President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is aiming for a second term, but he's also fallen in love with a feisty lobbyist (Annette Bening). That opens the door for opponent Rob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss) to stir a tasty character debate.

Following the success of 1995's Tommy Boy, Chris Farley and David Spade team up for another go-around in this political comedy. Though the laughs are not as side-splitting as in Tommy Boy, it's entertaining nonetheless. Farley stars as Mike Donnelly, a goofball who is trying to help his brother campaign for governor of Washington, and one that delivers some memorable moments. 

Plenty of Hollywood heavyweights, with Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro in the starring roles and Barry Levinson directing. There's a pre-election presidential sex scandal brewing at the absolute worst time. Some PR spin is needed, so why not create a fake war overseas as a distraction? In an ironic coincidence, the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal broke publicly shortly after the film's release.  

Adapted from the book Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, about Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential run, John Travolta stars as Jack Stanton, the Governor of Arkansas running for president. Naturally, the popular Stanton becomes embroiled in controversy and needs help to get his campaign back on track. Co-star Kathy Bates earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Stanton's campaign investigator. 

From the brilliant mind of Alexander Payne, we learn that even the race for student body president can be cutthroat. Reese Witherspoon shines as the ambitiously annoying Tracy Flick, whose main goal is to be president of the school. Much to the dismay of popular teacher Mr. McAllister (Matthew Broderick), who does not want to make it a cakewalk for young Tracy.

Not only did funnyman Chris Rock star in this political comedy, but it was also his directorial debut. Rock stars as floundering Washington D.C. alderman Mays Gilliam, who winds up becoming the democratic nominee for the 2004 presidential race by a series of tragic and made-for-Hollywood events. In time, Gilliam warms to the idea. Comedy and some heartwarming moments ensue. 

Do you have your "Vote for Pedro" T-shirt? Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) might be the most effective campaign manager in comedy film history. Fliers all over the school, including the urinals, and Napoleon's stellar dance moves were enough to help pal Pedro (Efren Ramirez) pull off the upset to stun Summer (Haylie Duff) and win the class presidency. All hail the underdog! 

No doubt, Idiocracy is out there. Then again, creator, co-writer, and director Mike Judge (with help from Etan Cohen) is not a conventional guy. Luke Wilson stars as Joe, a former soldier who endures a lengthy hibernation to eventually wake up in this out-of-control world and ultimately thrown into a presidential election.

What would it feel like to have the weight of a presidential election come down to one U.S. citizen? That's what Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is dealing with, thanks to his young daughter. She is way more into politics than her indifferent father. While the premise is certainly "out there," it's Hollywood. And it's entertaining enough to see how much attention one person gets when the fate of the nation's political future is on the line. 

This political comedy is not necessarily Will Ferrell's best work, but it's funny enough. Ferrell's Cam Brady is a somewhat smarmy candidate running to retain a congressional seat in North Carolina while embroiled in controversy. His opponent, Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), starts as a pawn in the race, but eventually, his campaign picks up steam. Brady's appearance at the church of snake handlers is the movie's highlight. 

Based on the popular book, Julianne Moore brilliantly stars as Sarah Palin, thrust into the national spotlight when she becomes the somewhat surprising pick as John McCain's vice presidential running mate during the 2008 election. Veteran actor Ed Harris is solid as McCain, while Woody Harrelson delivers a strong performance as republican campaign strategist Steve Schmidt.

OK, this might not be one of Rob Reiner's best films, but it's an interesting detail, nonetheless, on the major political moments in the life of President Lyndon Johnson, played solidly by Woody Harrelson (yes, him again). From that tragic Dallas day in 1963, the movie follows some of the majors decisions and situations facing Johnson during his time in office, while also backtracking to when he was rather surprisingly tabbed to join the John F. Kennedy presidential ticket. Then though LBJ's own presidential victory in 1964. Though the film obviously focuses on Johnson, Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers a strong performance as Lady Byrd. 

It's still quite stunning to see the physical transformation that Christian Bale made to play Dıck Cheney in this Adam McKay biographical political black comedy-drama. Aside from Bale's unrecognizable undertaking as Cheney, which is depicted like something out of Anchorman, the story is quite a thrill ride into the life of this polarizing politician. Narrated by a fictitious war veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, the movie follows Cheney's rise for a former alcoholic to an intern for Richard Nixon to Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to taking a larger-than-life role as George W. Bush's V.P. Oh yeah, also his fascination with showing strength and fighting wars, even amid his own physical and emotional and ideological weakness. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars, and Bale won a Critics' Choice Movie and Golden Globe Award.

For those who don't take their rom-coms too seriously, this is one to watch. U.S. Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is an aspiring presidential candidate, who reunites with non-unemployed journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan), who she babysat when he was a young child. Fred, who had a crush on Charlotte, ends up take on the role of her speechwriter, and, of course, shenanigans unfold and feelings are harbored. It's a textbook tale, but the on-screen chemistry between Theron and Rogan is surprising enough to stomach.

Sure, we took some liberty in describing this as an election film, however, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest within the country, is certainly a backdrop to this mockumentary black comedy. Our favorite Kazakh journalist and television personality Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is back for more buffoonery. This time, the likes for former vice president Mike Pence and "America's Mayor"-turned-goofball Rudy Giuliani are along for the comedic ride -- whether they like it or not. Now, at the end of the film there is some American civic duty on display by encouraging those eligible to vote in the 2020 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.