2000, R, 126 minutes

The key to any good political movie is for the events that take place to feel bigger than life and extremely important. In recent films like The American President or Dave, we had the feeling that what was going on was at the center of the country's utmost concern (whether or not the people had any idea), and that we had something to lose had things transpired differently. The White House was a place of intimidation, and Washington was a melting pot for complexity and political agendas. Although this is certainly not a bad film, the problem with The Contender is that it doesn't seem to capture the grand-scheme of things, and in general comes off as far too simple and insignificant.

The basic setup for The Contender involves the death of the Vice President and the political term-oil left behind when it comes to selecting a replacement. Essentially, the job has been narrowed down to two Senatorial candidates: Jack Hathaway (William Petersen) and Laine Hanson (Joan Allen). Hathaway is a safe choice because he has a good record and is well respected by the public, while Hanson is much more controversial, simply because she's a woman. So the President (Jeff Bridges) takes the road less traveled and selects Hanson, much to the dismay of House Committee Chairman Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman), who then starts a scandal in the newspapers. Immediately, the press paints Hanson as a slut and possibly a whore, due to some alleged photos that surfaced from her days in college.

What's disappointing about a film like The Contender is that it didn't take itself as seriously as it should have. From beginning to end it just didn't seem like there were enough people around, almost as if they had this big story to tell but not enough actors and extras to do it justice. The Oval Office felt more like a set in Los Angeles, and quite frankly, the President could've used a few more advisors. The Administration came off as if it was nothing more than a few guys hanging around the White House making decisions, when it should've been portrayed as the huge political ensemble that it really is. Like I said, this film is certainly more good than it is bad, but it could've been so much more if it hadn't been held back by what I presume was a limited shooting budget (or that's what I'm hoping). Still, limited or not, I think Rod Lurie should stick to writing and maybe let someone else fill the director's chair next time.

Although this film's appearance is somewhat ugly (which really hurts a political film more than you might expect), Rod Lurie does succeed in bringing out several great performances. Joan Allen, one of Hollywood's best and most under appreciated actresses, is perfect in the role of Laine Hanson. She does a beautiful job of masking her character's emotions, but at the same time releases the slightest hint of what's really going on inside her head. Jeff Bridges is solid as the President, managing to carry a commanding presence despite the film's unfortunate aura of smallness, and Christian Slater and Sam Elliot were sufficient. Another excellent performance comes from Gary Oldman, who is virtually unrecognizable. Playing the part of a corrupt Republican Congressman, Oldman is able to bring forth an amazing amount of empathy and realism, especially considering his character could've easily been portrayed as a cardboard cutout.

Aside from the acting, the one truly admirable aspect of The Contender is that for the majority of its runtime it avoids choosing sides between Democrat and Republican - or at least it portrays both parties fairly (other than one part where music swells up behind Allen's speech). The fact that the "bad guy" in this film is a Republican might cause some viewers to jump to conclusions, but in doing so they'd be missing the core of Oldman's character. Runyan is not trying to oust Hanson from being appointed Vice President because he's an "evil Republican," but because he truly feels there is a better person for the job. It is this type of even-handedness that gives the film credibility, however, the last fifteen minutes is such a complete betrayal to the rest of the story that it loses any message it may have been carrying. Instead of leaving us with a bitter, honest look at the realities of government and the double standard applied towards women in office, we get a trite and utterly typical Hollywood conclusion.

Even though it's far from bad, The Contender is difficult to look back on because it could've and should've achieved greatness. The cast provides a few award-worthy performances despite being hampered by an inexperienced director and a horrible ending, but even with its flaws, it is ultimately a film worth watching.