The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 12, Ed. 1, Thursday, November 16, 1995 Page: 5 of 8
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Romance politics make for an almost plausible mixture in President
By Chris Hatcher
staff writer
Rob Reiner's The American President
is an intriguing film with a highly roman-
tic theme of "love in the White House." It
offers a rare glimpse of the persoaal and
- professioaal obstacles fac by a widowed
Prestdeat who falls in love while in Office.
The American President
Dramatized romantic comedy
about the private and public
affairs of a U.S. President
rated PG-13 for mild language
out of a possible four stars.
Now Showing at the UA Cinema 10
in die Mall of Abilene
However it's mix of romance and
politics which develops through the coarse
of the film doesn't always blend and
somewhat hinders what is otherwise a
beautifully directed movie.
President Andrew Shepherd (Michael
Douglas) is an American President we
could only dream of having. He actually
has a heart Whether he's discussing
school with his daughter Lucy (Shawna
Waldron) or bombing an enemy country
with regrets of the civilian lives possibly
taken in the process President Shepherd
shows a genuine concern for people. Why
else would he be standing at a phenomenal
63 percent public approval rate after three
years in office?
Some say the high rate is due to the
fact that President Shepherd is a widower
and his wife's death shortly before his
election kept a character attack out of his
first campaign practically handing him the
Presidency.
Now it's election year and Shepherd
along with his Cabinet (consisting of
Martin Sheen Michael J. Fox and David
Paymer) are planning to push a crime
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Michael Douglas stars as widowed President Andrew Shepherd who falls in love with
Annette Bening starring as Sydney Wade an enviromental lobbyist Castle Rock
Entertainment's The American President directed by Rob Reiner.
package that will "guarantee" his re-election.
But this campaign will be a new
experience without his wife's support and
President Shepherd is becoming a lonely
man.
Thus enters Sydney Ellen Wade
(Annette Bening) a beautiful lobbyist
hired by the Global Defense Council to
play hardball with the "Prez" over an
impending environmental bill. Shepherd
finds her attractive the two hold a meeting
in which he agrees to reduce fossil fuel
emissions by 20 percent and she eventual-
ly agrees to have dinner with him. Not
your typical Presidentlobbyist relation-
ship. After attending a state dinner for the
President of France photos of the two
dancing cheek-to-cheek are plastered all
over the newspapers with President
Shepherd loving every minute of it. His
attempts at ordering flowers and getting
Sydney to admit her attraction to him are
touchingly funny and romantically heart-
warming providing the film with it's most
impressive moments.
But private matters become public
when the President's poll ratings begin to
steadily decline as a result of media fabri-
cations concerning his newly established
personal life. Shepherd refuses to let the
public interfere with he and Sydney's rela-
tionship until it becomes the focus of
attacks by Senator Bob Rumson (Richard
Dreyfuss) a Republican presidential contender.
Conflict also arises between lovers
when Shepherd's undisclosed means. for
pushing the environmental issue backfire
leaving Sydney and die GDC amazed at
the President's actions and leaving the
President out in the cold.
With his Cabinet strongly advising an
attack on Rumson and Sydney pondering
Rating Scale
bcrtMiss.
Highly Recommended.
Average.
Not recommended.
to end the affair Shepherd remains silent
toward all allegations while knowing he
must speak out as the liberal he is and
regain the respect he once had as
America's President.
The American President 's only flaw
is it's overly linking of political issues into
a story that displays" nothing more than a
remarkably romantic love affair. It's impli-
cations that the President should get the
girl and be able to re-esjablish his leader-
ship among the people through preaching
liberalism is a bit "fairy-taled" for politics.
While in today's political realm we don't
see this type of hero aura maybe it's
exactly what we need to re-establish the
kind of rapport once displayed between the
American people and our country's lead-
ers. Nonetheless the film's romantic
aspects outweigh it's political mishaps to
deliver a wonderful "feel-good" type
movie. Douglas and Bening are exception-
al in their roles as "star-crossed" lovers
and the thought of having a President who
follows his heart is a highly appealing ges-
ture. Sheen Fox and Paymer also add
brilliant performances to a film that
despite it's political imaginativeness will
leave it's audience with a loving patriotic
feeling in their hearts.
Carrey returns as pet detective in outrageously funny sequel
By Chris Hatcher
staff writer
It's almost difficult to give a worthless movie like
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls anything above a
mediocre rating. Then again with Jim Carrey in the lead
aa his usual spectacularly idiotic self which is even an
understatement for this zany sequel it's really not all that
hard.
After Carrey's smash performance in last summer's
box office bit Batman Forever many thought he might
give up the pointless characterizations he created in films
like Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber . I have one
question for those people. What are you thinking?
While a role such as "The Riddler" allows Carrey to
go off the deep end to -an extent it's the sheer slapstick
" nature of Carrey's "Ventura" that trademarks him as the
best in thebusiness. Not to mention the record-high 40
million big-ones the sequel hauled in after only it's first
' weekend at the box office. Not bad for pointiessness.
"Ventura 2" picks up in the same manner "Ventura 1"
left off with sheer stupidity. We are taken to the top of a
saowy mountain range where in a spoof of a recent
StaMone flick. Ace attempts a ridiculous rescue of a
"pkne-wrecked" raccoon.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Offensive slapstick comedy of an idiot
pet detective Rated PG-13 for highly
tasteless humor and mild language
out of a possible four stars.
Now Showing at Carmike Cinemas
Park Central Six
Ace straps the little animal in his harness the harness
breaks as the pet detective shimmies for safety across a
gorge on a high wire and the wide-eyed coon plunges to
its death with Ace's outstretched hand and farcical facial
expression lingering behind.
The scene sets the tone for When Nature Calls ' ludi-
crous story line which reveals the guilt-ridden Ace seek-
ing refuge at a Tibetan monastery over the woodland crea-
ture's icy death. His search for universal oneness is inter-
rupted when he is requested in Africa by Fulton Greenwall
(Ian McNeice). Even the monks express happiness in rid-
ding their temple of the menacing Ace.
From here the laughs are virtually non-stop as Ace is
hired by GrecawaM'a employer English consul Vincent
Cadby (Simon Callow) to prevent bis African province
from becoming an all out war zone. Little does he know
Ace only adds to that probability ?
It appears a sacred white bat called Shikaka has been
stolen from it's rightful owners the friendly Wachati tribe.
Unless the sacred animal is returned to it's rightful place
of worship the chief's daughter can not be married to the
first son of the rival Wachooto tribetaod an all out war
will be waged. Tommy Davidson is hysterically violent as
the "son" of the Wachooto's displayed jn a tribal bravery
showdown with Ace.
Ace begins his search for the miising bat only to be
attacked by crocodiles blanketed by -poison darts and
challenged by warring natives all in uproarious fashion.
The most hysterical scene of the movie involves Ace
trapped in a mechanical rhino and searching for a way to
get oul Believe me it will have you rolling in the isle.
While the film makes no effort awstilling rationali-
ty to the story (indicating Carrey probably did a lot of the
script writing) Carrey is it's saving grace. Being the only
actor in Hollywood capable of pulling off such ridiculous
slapstick Carrey will bring a slue of fans to the theaters to
see this one indicated by its first week's earnings.
Between the money made and the laughs provided I think
it's safe to say we haven't seen the last of good old Ace.
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The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 12, Ed. 1, Thursday, November 16, 1995, newspaper, November 16, 1995; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth97625/m1/5/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library.