the Political Aficionado’s Guide to ... B I G S C R E E N SUMMER/FALL 2016 INFLUENCE | 19 As we near the general election, Florida will again be at its fulcrum. Not only could the Sunshine State’s 29 electoral votes decide who becomes our next president, but our U.S. Senate race is crucial to the balance of power of the world’s oldest deliberative body come next January. Elections, and politics in general, can be incredibly dramatic and exciting. While many note that Donald Trump’s candidacy has been something never seen in recent American politics, what about the depictions of the process as seen through the eyes of Hollywood? Here are some of the best films about elections and politics, a list in no particular order, other than what came to mind for us. “RECOUNT” (2008) Since this publication will get wide distribution in Tallahassee, we have to start out with Jay Roach’s “Recount” (2008) all about, yes, the 2000 presidential recount election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. You know the plot — the stakes couldn’t have been any higher in our recent history as those incredible 36 days between November and December of 2000 played out. For those of us who were there, no movie could be as dramatic as the real thing unspooled in Tallahassee, Palm Beach County, Miami and the rest of the Sunshine State. Fun facts: Bruce McGill plays Mac Stipanovich, Tom Wilkinson is James Baker, and Laura Dern played a way-over-the-top version of former Secretary of State (and later Sarasota-based Congresswoman) Katherine Harris. PHOTO: Courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment Campaign Cinema Turn off the real thing and enjoy Hollywood’s take on elections. BY MITCH PERRY George Clooney plays a candidate for President in the “Ides of March” movie (2011).
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