4 Film Favorites: White House (The American President, Dave, My Fellow Americans, Wag The Dog)

For laughs and joy watch "My Fellow Americans."

I purchased this to get one of the movies that I watched years ago. I ended up watching all of them. And I must say I will probably watch them again before I put them in the movie library.

What's not to like - 4 Great movies!

Fun, less stress entertaining for this season.

I don't give away plots or provide spoilers. That said, I love each of the movies included in this set. My favorites are Dave and American President. The latter is the movie that spawned the West Wing TV series - both were the brainchild of Aaron Sorkin. Dave is one of my favorite Kevin Kline comedies, and the cast of Wag The Dog (and the storyline) caters to the inner conspiracy theorist in me. My Fellow Americans is probably the funniest of the bunch (to me, anyway.)Basically, this is an entertaining collection of White House- themed comedies that are a welcome break from real life politics. Perhaps all of the movies will not appeal to everyone (although I love each), but I am betting that two out of four will appeal to every potential buyer. Even at that fifty percent satisfaction rate this set is a bargain and truly great entertainment.

These are wonderful movies with great cast

This DVD has four movies but I've only seen one so far. I ordered this because of "My Fellow Americans". I absolutely love this movie! The rapport between James Garner and Jack Lemmon is fabulous even though the roles they play (former presidents of differing parties) casts them as two people who can't stand each other. Then someone sets them both up to take the rap for dirty politics involving kickbacks and other heinous crimes. The two end up going on the lam together and struggling to survive to find and finger the real culprit(s). The trip brings lots of action and lots of laughs, but also some pathos for those of us striving to make a life with jobs being scarce and government taking what little money is available. But don't worry - the laughs far outweigh any angst.This is one of those movies that I hated to see end. I wanted to see what happened next. There was real potential here for a sequel, but if there was one made, I never found it.Have fun with this one - it's well worth your time and your money.

This collection of four movies tied to the Presidency is a clever idea, but what you get is not very satisfactory. The four movies are presented on three DVD discs. The American President disc is clearly produced from the original DVD and maintains fine clarity, sharp color and sound. It also features the appropriate artwork on the disc face. My Fellow Americans is a less successful transfer, and the worst of the four. While it does have the title pressed onto the face of the disc, it doesn't include any artwork on it and the transfer shows washed out colors, a less sharp focus and dim sound. The third and fourth movies-Wag the Dog and Dave-are the A and B side of a single disc and have no lettering or artwork to indicate this was a legitimately copied DVD from an original print. Surprisingly, the transfers are actually a bit better than the one applied to My Fellow Americans but also not as sharp in contrast but the colors and sound seem okay. I can only think of quite old movies that are no longer under copyright and which therefore can be thrown together into a collection using the A and B side of a single disc. I don't recall ever seeing two movies of recent vintage that get this same treatment, at least not before now. Normally, these issues would get one star from me, but I've elevated my rating to three stars for two reasons-$10 for four movies is a steal and three of these four movies are quite good. If you haven't seen The American President, Wag the Dog or Dave, then this package is well worth it. And even if you've seen them, if you liked them, it's a small enough price to add them to your collection. If My Fellow Americans is the only movie you haven't seen, then it's definitely not worth $10 to own that particular movie. So my rating is simply for the inexpensive cost of adding three good movies to your collection, although only the one has an excellent transfer to DVD. So you decide. I'm also providing a brief recap of each movie if you're not aware of one or more of them.THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT-4 1/2 STARSNominated for several Academy Awards, but not winning any, this politically charged romantic movie came from writer Aaron Sorkin, the man who created and produced the TV series The West Wing, and elements of this movie found its way into the early seasons of that show. But unlike other movies offering a peak into the Presidency, this movie seems more grounded in how that world really operates. Michael Douglas is excellent as the widower President Andrew Shepherd as is Annette Bening as Sydney Ellen Wade, the lobbyist who becomes his girlfriend. Clearly there would be difficulty for a bachelor President to simply date a woman, and the difficulties are realistically presented. There is also plenty of political maneuvering related to Shepherd's desire to pass a crime bill while Sydney is working to garner support for an environmental bill. This dramedy presents a realistic picture of the struggles facing a President who must decide such things as taking lives in the bombing of the headquarters of a rebel force, working with members of Congress to get his agenda passed while staying silent against personal attacks on his family values. He is, after all, dating a woman while raising a 12 year old daughter. A terrific movie directed by Rob Reiner with a great supporting cast.WAG THE DOG 4 STARSThis is another fine ensemble piece with Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro in the lead roles. And while also a comedy, this is a dark satire that tells a plausible story. Here, caught in a scandalous situation just days before his re-election, the President hires spin doctor De Niro to help divert attention from his issue. And with the help of a Hollywood producer, (Hoffman) they create a fictitious war with Albania. Like all satire, there are absurd elements that seem reasonable in the context of this plot and made believable by the fine performances of the two leads. From a script co-authored by esteemed playwright David Mamet, this movie will probably offend some and be ignored by others considering its over-the top plot. However, this movie came out a month before the Monica Lewinski scandal exploded against then President Bill Clinton and that was followed a week later by the bombing of a factory in Sudan. Those two events occurring so soon after the release of this movie seemed to make its plot less fantastic. Probably not for everyone, but if your mind is open, it's scarily funny.DAVE 4 STARSThis movie provides one of the top performances of Kevin Kline's career. His warm and accessible character, Dave Kovic, runs a temp agency but also is an exact double for the current President, Bill Mitchell. Mitchell is the complete jerk and his long-suffering wife, Ellen, ably played by Sigourney Weaver, barely tolerates him. Dave is hired by the secret service to pretend to be the President departing a fund-raiser dinner so the real President can have his dalliance with one of his female staff. Unfortunately, Mitchell suffers a major stroke and Dave is left to assume the role of the President ongoing. Behind this plot is the manipulative Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) who sees this as a way to control Dave and at the same time get done what he wants done. This genteel romantic comedy may remind you of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Kevin Kline is as likeable as Jimmy Stewart was in that movie. Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), it never sinks to low comedy but allows Kline's warmth to shine. A good family film that tugs the heartstrings.MY FELLOW AMERICANS-ONE STARIt's painful to watch two aging actors slog their way through an awful script, their talents wasted on this kind of drivel. James Garner plays ex-President Matt Douglas and Jack Lemmon plays ex-President Russell Kramer with Dan Aykroyd as current President William Haney. The plot revolves around some construction bribes that Haney took and that somehow he's able to pin them on Kramer. Kramer and Douglas try to get to the construction owner for the truth, but he's killed just before talking to the pair of Presidents. This sets them off on some buddy mission to find proof against Haney. And that's just about as much of a plot as is worth telling. There's nothing funny or interesting in watching this "comedy" except to feel somewhat sad for these two stars who have done so much better work before. Imagine Clinton and Bush as buddies trying to play detective while running all over the country. An absurd idea, terrible movie and a waste of time.

Die Filme lassen sich nicht abspielen,US Import

Wag the dog es una película icónica que desapareció de las plataformas digitales y es uno de los primeros intentos cinematográficos por develar la manipulación de los grandes gobiernos usando guerras fabricadas. El nacimiento de fake news institucionalizado.

Four awesome films.Dave is a funny and heartwarming story of a good caring man who just happens to look like the president of the united states. After the president suffers a major stroke while having an affair, Dave is secretly brought to the White House to play the part. Oh and how things begin to change when a good caring incorruptible man takes charge.Wage The Dog is a comedy about a presidents aid who weeks before the election learns that a sexual scandal about the president is about to hit the fan. So to save his job he calls in the help of a film producer to create a fake war inorder to take peoples attention off the scandal.The American President is a sweet tender funny story of a single father and widower who also just happens to be the president of the united states who falls in love with a political lobbyists.My Fellow Americans is the hilarious film of 2 former American Presidents who happen to hate and despise each other. After learning of a conspiracy and murder they are forced to team up for a cross country tour to fine the truth while being pursued by a those who want them silenced. Hilarious!

All are very good films. Different stories but worth every penny! The American President shows Martin Sheen as the President's Chief of Staff before he ever became POTUS on the West Wing. Dave is a great yarn but makes you think how true it may be. Saddam Hussein was known for having many body doubles why not American Presidents? Wag the Dog takes conspiracy to just about that level; my least favorite of the four. My Fellow Americans is just plain fun! Watch them, You'll be entertained!

They are great movies.