Nothing says Election Day like pop culture.
Before you check the latest results and settle in for an all-night media binge, there are hundreds of films and TV shows with their take on elections, presidents and politics to keep you entertained.
Let’s start with a few fun films and shows that will lift your spirits and bring out a laugh or two.
‘Swing Vote’
This movie is a comedy-drama with a fun take on the elections. In an unprecedented turn of events, the presidential election comes down to one vote.
Ernest “Bud” Johnson (Kevin Costner) has the power to decide the election but does not care about politics. His daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll) encourages him to take the vote seriously.
It’s a light-hearted film with plenty of comedy and a powerful message about the importance of voting.
‘Parks and Recreation’
The mockumentary-style television series follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the deputy director of Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks and Recreation department. Throughout the series, Leslie works tirelessly to improve Pawnee and eventually runs for a City Councilor position.
It’s a hilarious take on everyday bureaucratic work and an uplifting story about a woman in government who is passionate about her work and city.
‘Saturday Night Live’
The long-running late-night TV show is home to hundreds of political skits that offer a comedic take on the election and a hiatus from the seriousness of each election.
‘Veep’
Similarly to “Parks and Recreation,” the political satire series follows a woman in politics with a positive outlook who is met with indifference as she fights her way to the top. Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) navigates a sometimes unforgiving political landscape as vice president of the United States.
‘Election’
Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon star in this 1999 film as a teacher and student locked in a battle for the student body president. Jim McAllister (Broderick) notices Tracy Flicks’ (Witherspoon) unethical tactics and convinces athlete Chris Klien (Paul Metzler) to run against her for the good of the school. A feud strikes up, and shenanigans ensue.
‘Napoleon Dynamite’
By far the most important election movie of the season, “Napoleon Dynamite” tells the harrowing tale of a high school student with mad dance skills who tries to help his friend Pedro win the title of class president.
Everyone will vote differently today, but one thing is for sure: We can all agree to “Vote For Pedro.”
For our lovers of dramatized history, here are a few historical thrillers with an emphasis on elections and presidents to set the mood for today. We start with a film about the women who fought for the right to vote.
‘Iron Jawed Angels’
This unrated 2004 historical drama follows the suffragette movement, the fight for women’s right to vote.
In the film, inspired by recent movements in the United Kingdom, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns unite to fight for the right to vote. The pair proves too radical for the National American Women’s Suffrage Association and strike out on their own.
‘All the President’s Men’
The 1976 film is a biographical political thriller that follows the novice reporters who connected President Richard Nixon to a series of break-ins to the National Democratic National Committee’s D.C. headquarters, the Watergate Building.
‘House of Cards’
After the newly elected President Garrett Walker (Michael Gill) breaks his promise to name Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) as secretary of state, Frank with help from his wife and chief of staff, plays the political system and influences the current administration.
The show has six seasons, and each episode introduces new political schemes, bureaucratic manipulation and deadly consequences.
‘Thirteen Days’
Political thrillers are the theme today because it’s a thrilling day. “Thirteen Days” follows the Cuban Missile Crisis with a dramatic take on President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), White House Assistant Kenneth P. O’Donnell (Kevin Costner) and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s (Steven Culp) handling of the situation.
The incident, known as the “Watergate Scandal,” effectively ended Nixon’s presidency.
These next two films take creative liberty to speculate on what the future of America could look like. If you are too stressed about today, skip these two.
‘The Purge: Election Year’
The horror film jumps to a future America where all crime is legal for 12 hours once every year.
The New Founding Fathers, a political party, believes the policy benefits the nation, but the new presidential candidate, Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) disagrees.
The film follows her on a harrowing journey to survive the purge and make it out of Election Day in one piece.
‘Civil War’
Continuing the dystopian trend, “Civil War” imagines what life in America would be like if a civil war broke out today, but from a journalist’s perspective.
Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) is a photojournalist weighed down by her years of capturing war-time photos. She shows thought and restraint, something her younger counterpart Jessie (Cailee Spaney) does not. In their pursuit to snap a picture of the president, to prove he is still alive, the two emphasize a loss of humanity through the generations.
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