No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, nobody feels particularly great about midterm elections. If you’re for the incumbent party, then you’re probably feeling some trepidation, because the opposition party tends to do well in midterms. If you’re with the opposition, you’re probably mad, frustrated that this election is your first chance to claw things back to your side. In short, everyone could do with a good movie night as they watch the results roll in.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});Fortunately, there are a lot of good movies about American presidents. Even better, most of them feature presidents who embody the ideals of the office, certainly more than our actual leaders. Some may call that fantastical wish-fulfillment, but we see it as an act of self-care, restoring our faith in democracy even as actual democracy seems to struggle. So take some time from watching election results and check out these five larger than life, but ultimately inspirational, movie presidents.Judd HammondGabriel Over the White House (1933)Okay, let’s get this out of the way first: Gabriel Over the White House is an insane movie, even if you share the film’s largely progressive stance. Directed by Gregory La Cava and written by Carey Wilson, Gabriel Over the White House features a president who ruthlessly imposes his agenda, willfully becoming a dictator for the sake of equality and against lawlessness, particularly the gangsters who rose up during prohibition. At least, that’s what Hammond becomes after a near-death experience, shifting from an opportunist career politician to a social reformer, one willing to ignore his Cabinet and dissolve congress if they oppose him.Yes, Gabriel Over the White House is an incredibly uncomfortable watch, even if you agree with some of Hammond’s policies. Fortunately, Walter Huston gives such a ferocious performance as Hammond that it’s hard not to be entertained. And as long as we understand the whole thing as a fantasy, there’s something comforting about a President willing to take a stand for the people. Just, hopefully, the real version isn’t quite so scary when he does it.Douglass DilmanThe Man (1972)Given that we still have only had one Black president in actual history, the preponderance of Black presidents in media from the ’90s and 2000s still feels aspirational. As such, most of these stories rarely deal with the racist backlash that follows, despite the fact that we’ve seen how such responses occur in real life. All of that makes one of the earliest depictions of a Black president, the 1972 made-for-TV movie The Man, all the more compelling.Directed by Joseph Sargent and written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, The Man stars James Earl Jones as Senate president pro tempore Douglass Dilman. After the President and Speaker of the House die in a building collapse, and the Vice President discloses a terminal illness, Dilman is next in the line of succession. A humble man who understands that greatness has been thrust upon him, Dilman does his best to overcome the skepticism against him. Although frank in its depiction of American racism, The Man believes that even hatred can be overcome by the example of a good man doing a difficult job well.Dave KovicDave (1993)Like President Dilman, Dave Kovic also had greatness thrust upon him and also was judged according to his looks, but with very different circumstances. Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a temp agency manager who moonlights as a look-alike for President Bill Mitchell (also Kline) for parties and other events. Dave is so good, in fact, that the Secret Service asks him to stand in for President Mitchell after a speech. And then, when Mitchell dies during a tryst, Kovic has to permanently play Mitchell while the president’s men come up with a solution.From Dave‘s somewhat absurd premise, director Ivan Reitman and writer Gary Ross tell a sweet, optimistic tale about an everyman who ascends to the Oval Office. A fundamentally decent guy, Dave spends the first half of the movie winning over those frustrated by Mitchell, including his wife Ellen (Sigourney Weaver). But the real power comes when the political movers try to shove Dave out and return to business as usual, threatened by a good man in power.Andrew Shepherd The American President (1995)Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Rob Reiner, The American President plays like a dry run for The West Wing, right down to Martin Sheen playing the Leo McGarry role of the president’s Chief of Staff. But Reiner emphasizes the more romantic elements, the story of a single father in the White House, President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), who courts environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening).Unsurprisingly from the guy who made The Princess Bride, Reiner brings a fairy-tale quality to the romantic plot, played with old-school charm by the leads. But when the movie turns to hard questions about political compromise and policy decisions, the fantasy becomes more pronounced, as Sorkin makes Andrew Shepherd into the prototype for West Wing president Jed Bartlet: principled, passionate, and compassionate.Thomas J. WhitmoreIndependence Day (1996)Really, being a good movie president comes down to two things: taking action and giving a great speech. The 1996 alien-invasion/disaster flick Independence Day may have a ton of problems, but it gets these two things right with its president, Thomas J. Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman. The first half of the movie sets up the precarious state of affairs for Whitmore, a former Air Force pilot whose youth and inexperience opens him up to attacks from the opposition. The second half of the movie shows us just what kind of person he is.Of course, Independence Day comes from schlock auteur Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote the script with producer Dean Devlin. So Whitmore proves his worth not by navigating a deadlocked Congress or crafting a complicated bill, but by shooting down aliens with his fighter jet, and by giving a dumb but rousing speech about global independence day. But, you know what? At least he gets off his butt and does something, which is more than some real presidents can say.The post 5 Great Movie Presidents to Restore Your Faith in Democracy appeared first on Den of Geek.