History Film / TheAmericanPresident

* AmericanTitle: The ''American'' President

* WhatTheHellHero: Lewis gives one to Shepherd, but he has a good response to it.

''The American President'' is a 1995 romantic drama directed by Creator/RobReiner (in his first film after the infamous ''Film/{{North}}'') and written by Creator/AaronSorkin, starring Creator/MichaelDouglas, Creator/AnnetteBening, Creator/MichaelJFox, and Creator/MartinSheen. These days it is most noted for being basically a dress rehearsal for Sorkin's later TV series ''Series/TheWestWing'', which included a number of the same actors, albeit in different parts.

'''Shepard:''' ''(coldly)'' Lewis, we've had presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference. ''*thunderclap*'' Make the call.

* VillainHasAPoint: Senator Bob Rumson, who's running in the Republican primary, is a {{jerkass}} but he does raise the shell of a good point: While in theory, as a single, widowed man Andy should be able to date whomever he likes, Sydney ''is'' a professional lobbyist and they met while she was on the job lobbying Andrew Shepherd the President. Ergo, whether they're mixing business with pleasure, as it were, is not in and of itself a bad question to ask. As a member of Congress, part of Rumson's job really ''is'' to act as a check on the President.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Series/TheWestWing'' takes many of the same character archetypes, sets and at least one actor from this movie into that show.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Shepard is clearly based on then-current President Bill Clinton; a young, charismatic, and moderate Democrat who previously served as Governor of a Midwest state (Arkansas for Clinton, Wisconsin for Shepard), while Rumson is based on Senator Bob Dole, a Kansas Republican Senator who was Clinton's 1996 opponent.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Senator Rumson is pretty obviously based on Bob Dole. Shepherd and his staff are likewise heavily based on various people in the Clinton Administration.

* VillainHasAPoint: Senator Bob Rumson, who's running in the Republican primary, is a {{jerkass}} but he does raise the shell of a good point: While in theory, as a single man Andy should be able to date whomever he likes, Sydney ''is'' a professional lobbyist and they met while she was on the job lobbying Andrew Shepherd the President. Ergo, whether they're mixing business with pleasure, as it were, is not in and of itself a bad question to ask. As a member of Congress, part of Rumson's job really ''is'' to act as a check on the President.

* RightBehindMe: During her initial meeting with A.J. [=MacInerny=], Sydney Wade verbally tears into President Shepherd for his refusal to give her environmental group's cause as much support as they want. Midway through her rant, Shepherd quietly enters the room and stands behind her, introducing himself only when she finishes. Later, though, when she apologizes to him, he takes it all in stride, reminding her that being viciously criticized like that is all a part of his job as President.

->''"You want a character debate, Bob? You better stick with me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league."''
-->-- '''President Andrew Shepherd'''

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Shepherd's final speech where he addresses the whole controversy and admits his own faults both in his relationship with Sydney and with the stance he needed to make with policies and bills as the President.

* {{Adorkable}}:
** Pres. Shephard may be the most powerful man in the world, but he is also just a guy who wants to win the heart of the girl he likes and basically can't stop smiling the first time he meets her. (And he gets in a great line concerning the tag of "the most powerful man in the world" while professing he's nervous about the sex they're about to have)
** Sydney herself can be pretty adorkable. She flip-flops back and forth from badass lobbyist who doesn't take crap from anyone to giggly schoolgirl.

* MoodWhiplash: After Andrew and Sydney consummate their relationship, a montage follows of the media pouncing all over the pair, as their dating starts dropping his approval numbers and Rumson begins to gain momentum by dragging

their relationship through the mud.

* MoodWhiplash: After Andrew and Sydney consummate their relationship, a montage follows of the media pouncing all over the pair, as their dating starts dropping his approval numbers and Rumson begins to gain momentum by dragging their relationship through the mud.
* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse example: Sydney nearly walks through the wrong door into the President's private office after their first meeting. Her sister finds this endlessly amusing.
-->'''Sydney:''' I stood in the middle of the Oval Office and I made it very clear that from now on, he who doesn't take the GDC seriously does so at his peril!\\
'''Beth:''' And then you walked out the wrong door.\\
'''Sydney:''' Are you gonna be throwing that back at me the rest of my life?\\
'''Beth:''' That's my current plan, yes.

''The American President'' is a 1995 romantic drama directed by Creator/RobReiner (in his first film after the infamous ''Film/{{North}}'') and written by Creator/AaronSorkin, starring Creator/MichaelDouglas, Annette Bening, Creator/MichaelJFox, and Creator/MartinSheen. These days it is most noted for being basically a dress rehearsal for Sorkin's later TV series ''Series/TheWestWing'', which included a number of the same actors, albeit in different parts.

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Shepard orders a missile strike on Libya's StateSec in retaliation for their involvement in an attack that leaves 22 American soldiers dead. When his advisors suggest playing this up to paint him as a strong leader who can make hard decisions in a time of crisis, Shepard chastises them for making the suggestion, reminding them of the human cost of his decision.

-->'''Shepard:''' Leon, somewhere in Libya right now, a janitor's working the night shift at Libyan Intelligence Headquarters. He's going about doing his job... because he has no idea, in about an hour he's going to die in a massive explosion. He's just going about his job, because he has no idea that about an hour ago I gave an order to have him killed. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo You've just seen me do the least Presidential thing I do]].

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: A quite literal example. Andy interrupts a press conference at the end of the film to improvise a speech directly calling out Rumson and his cadre for attacking Sydney to smear him.

* {{Adorkable}}: Pres. Shephard may be the most powerful man in the world, but he is also just a guy who wants to win the heart of the girl he likes and basically can't stop smiling the first time he meets her. (And he gets in a great line concerning the tag of "the most powerful man in the world" while professing he's nervous about the sex they're about to have)

'''Shepherd:''' ... People don't drink the sand 'cause they're thirst, Lewis. They drink it 'cause they don't know the difference.

'''Shepherd:''' Then it yourself over the head with a baseball bat!