| The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 13, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Rod Lurie |
| Writer: | Rod Lurie |
| Genres: | Drama, Thriller |
| Keywords | washington dc, usa, usa president, sex scandal, politics, government, vice president |
| Production Companies | DreamWorks Pictures, Cinerenta, Battleplan Productions, SE8 Group, Cinecontender Internationale |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $22,428,990
Budget: $20,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Joan Allen | Laine Hanson |
| Gary Oldman | Shelly Runyon |
| Jeff Bridges | President Jackson Evans |
| Christian Slater | Reginald Webster |
| Sam Elliott | Kermit Newman |
| William Petersen | Jack Hathaway |
| Saul Rubinek | Jerry Tolliver |
| Philip Baker Hall | Oscar Billings |
| Mike Binder | Lewis Hollis |
| Robin Thomas | William Hanson |
| Kathryn Morris | Paige Willomina |
| Kristen Shaw | Fiona Hathaway |
| Douglas Urbanski | Makerowitz |
| Noah Fryrear | Timmy |
| Angelica Page | Dierdra |
| Joseph Lyle Taylor | Paul Smith |
| Kevin Geer | Congressman Skakle |
| Doug Roberts | Congressman Harding |
| Mariel Hemingway | Cynthia Lee |
| Bev Appleton | Congressman Marshall |
| Sandra Register | Glenda |
| Anthony Booth | Peter Crenshaw |
| Andrew Boothby | Steve Poullet |
| Irene Ziegler | Maggie Runyon |
| Del Driver | Director Friend |
| Sean Pratt | Wilke |
| Bill Bevins | Anchorman |
| Ed Sala | Show Producer |
| Kirk Penberthy | Stevenson |
| Justin Dray | Stagehand |
| David Laubacher | Reporter #4 |
| David Bridgewater | Aide |
| Kevin Grantz | Secret Service Chief |
| Michael Kennedy | Congressman Fletcher |
| David Londoner | Congressman Jones |
| Larry King | Larry King |
| Amit Mehta | ABU Hunter |
| Catherine Shaffner | Patricia Lavameer |
| Liz Marks | Sheila |
| Sherri Richmond | Reporter |
| Teresa Jones | Reporter |
| Lynn West | Reporter |
| Heather Rosbeck | Elaine Bidwell |
| Dawn Westbrook | Secretary |
| Jolene Carroll | Maid |
| Michael Goodwin | Reporter |
| Ashly Covington | Aide (uncredited) |
| Cynthia Webb | Nurse (uncredited) |
| Caryn Mower | Drowning Victim (uncredited) |
| Robert Shepherd | Congressman (uncredited) |
| Denis Maloney | White House Photographer (uncredited) |
| Lucas N. Hall | Congressional Aid (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Larry Groupé | Original Music Composer |
| Eloise Crane Stammerjohn | Set Decoration |
| Oriana Robertson | Unit Production Manager |
| Hubie Kerns Jr. | Stunts |
| Daniel W. Barringer | Stunts |
| Denis Maloney | Director of Photography |
| Alec Hammond | Production Design |
| Matthew Jacobsen | Costume Design |
| Michael Jablow | Editor |
| Halina Gebarowicz | Art Direction |
| Rod Lurie | Director, Writer |
| Mary Jo Slater | Casting |
| Caryn Mower | Stunts |
| Doug Coleman | Stunts |
| Loyd Catlett | Stunt Coordinator |
| Ronnie Rondell Jr. | Stunts |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| James Spies | Producer |
| Maurice Leblond | Executive Producer |
| Rainer Bienger | Executive Producer |
| Scott Shiffman | Co-Producer |
| Steve Loglisci | Co-Producer |
| Marc Frydman | Producer |
| Douglas Urbanski | Producer |
| Willi Bär | Producer |
| Gary Oldman | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Actor | Jeff Bridges | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Brendan Gleeson | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Allen | Nominated |
| SAG Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Gary Oldman | Won |
| SAG Awards | Best Actor | Anthony Hopkins | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 | 18 | 27 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 30 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 7 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 28 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Trending Position
Joan Allen is an American senator who is nominated to replace a recently deceased Vice-President by Jeff Bridges ("President Evans"). Once her confirmation hearing begins, she finds her rather interesting private life under the scrutiny of hostile committee chairman Gary Oldman who is determined to ... expose every aspect of her life - past and present - to the public. Oscar-nominated Allen is good as the feisty, intelligent, senator but the rest of this is all rather lacklustre and frequently overly contrived, with plenty of dramatic events designed to enhance the plot rather then create any sense of plausibility. Against the backdrop of the Clinton impeachment trial, the film had a certain resonance and it certainly does not show the constitutional processes, nor the male-dominated American establishment's approach to women, in a good light, but the older it gets, the less that causal impact it has and is now little better than a run-of-the-mill political drama that struggles to distinguish itself.