From Woody Allen to Will Ferrell…Best Political Movies Ever
Political Punch
With the release of "The Campaign" — starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifinakis — Political Punch decided to take a journey through the canon of political movies and make our own Top 10 List. All movies are political on some level, particularly those that deal with power (like "The Godfather") but we keep the definition of politics narrow, and exclude documentaries. Politics has long been fertile ground for moviemakers and screenwriters. Our list features comedies, satires, dramas and thrillers — proof of how dramatic, shocking and hilarious politics can be.
On the Punch list is "In the Loop," a dark satire of the relationship between the U.S. and U.K. during the build-up to the war in Iraq. What makes it great is its wicked tone. Peter Capaldi, who plays the Director of Communications for the Prime Minister, makes creative and colorful use of language to compel a lackluster cabinet minister to do his bidding.
"Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is a 1964 classic about nuclear war so satiric that it walks a fine line adjacent unsettling. The film tells the story of how the government deals with a crazy general who goes rogue. Its grand caricatures make it a top ten pick.
"Wag the Dog" shows a spin-doctor played by Robert de Niro, teaming up with a Hollywood producer - Dustin Hoffman channeling Robert Towne - to create a fictitious war with Albania to distract voters from a presidential sex scandal. The movie opens with a play on a colloquialism: Why does the dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog. Remember, this came out before the Lewinsky scandal.
Watch the video for the full Punch Top 10. Like the list? What did we leave out? Tell us below.
