The American President Details

This gleaming, witty and irresistible romantic comedy often harks back to the films of Frank Capra. One of several White House-based movies made in the wake of Bill Clinton's election and shot on an impressive full-size mock-up of the White House's business and domestic quarters, Rob Reiner's picture stars Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd. Recently widowed and the father of a young daughter, Shepherd is in need of female company at official functions. Annette Bening, an eco-lobbyist, fits the bill and, after he dances with her in public, the press go into speculative overdrive. The script makes fun of the president's isolation (it's almost impossible for him to make a personal phone call or even buy a bunch of flowers) and Douglas gives a commanding performance that is far removed from his earlier roles in films such as Fatal Attraction and Falling Down. Bening is also terrific, combining the politically correct attitudes of the 1990s with Lauren Bacall's slinky sophistication and Jean Arthur's bubbly wit. The odd cliché apart, this is perfect entertainment.

This is a clever idea for a romantic comedy, as the most important man in America tries to behave like the boy next door, but it is one that is soon reduced to blandness by a refusal to take risks; playing safe may be good political practice but it does n