It seems like every day is a day for politics here in Madison. Whether there's a ballot initiative by ASM, or the election of the ninth circuit associate judicial review representative for the 45th precinct, we have a lot going on. But today's elections arguably carry more weight as Bryon Eagon and Mark Woulf square off in District 8, while Bridget Maniaci faces Brenda Konkel in District 2. As important as they may be, students are not the most reliable voters. So to get people in the mood, here are five of the best films to fire up that Madisonian activism and get out the vote, cookies or no cookies.
1. ""Election""
Alexander Payne's dark comedy is about a teacher (Matthew Broderick) attempting to suppress overachieving goodie-two-shoes candidate Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon in arguably her best performance) by convincing a popular but simple-minded football player (Chris Klein) to run for class president. ""Election"" strikes the perfect balance between reality and insanity, as Witherspoon and Broderick go to absurd lengths to foil each other, all while Klein looks on clueless.
2.""The Manchurian Candidate""
Although both versions of the movie bring a sense of eerie election paranoia, the 1962 version stands the test of time. An ex-soldier is brainwashed by a communist group to assassinate a presidential candidate. Featuring great performances from Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury, this candidate is not the kind Madison would want to elect.
3. ""Mr. Smith Goes
to Washington""
The pairing of director Frank Capra with actor Jimmy Stewart is one of the best American cinema has ever known. Stewart plays a blue-collar average Joe who after being elected to the Senate, becomes a catalyst for change. ""Mr. Smith"" is everything ""The Manchurian Candidate"" isn't: It gives America hope that an honest, hardworking everyman can bring justice and reason to the bureaucracy of government.
4. ""Wag the Dog""
Although the premise of ""Wag the Dog"" was once considered over the top, today it stands as an easily relatable film in a scandal-ridden era. To cover up a sex scandal, a candidate's advisor (Robert De Niro) concocts a military conflict to draw the media's attention. Soon after this 1997 film came the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, and after that came the series of wars run by the Bush administration. Sound unrealistic now?
5. ""Black Sheep""
Candidates often must have a bevy of well-placed advisors and photogenic and personable family members to help them in their candidacy. This is not the case for Al Donnelly and his dumb brother Mike (Chris Farley). Try as Mike may, he loses more votes than he wins for Al's campaign, even with someone assigned specifically to keep him in check (David Spade). This classic Farley-Spade comedy may be light on the politics and heavy on the physical comedy, but it's still worth checking out.
