The Contender (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Contender


image_size =
caption = "The Contender" theatrical poster
director = Rod Lurie
producer = James Spies
Douglas Urbanski
Willi Bär
Marc Frydman
writer = Rod Lurie
starring = Gary Oldman
Joan Allen
Jeff Bridges
Christian Slater
Sam Elliott
William L. Petersen
Saul Rubinek
Philip Baker Hall
Mike Binder
Robin Thomas
Mariel Hemingway
Kathryn Morris
music = Larry Groupé
cinematography = Denis Maloney
editing = Michael Jablow
distributor = - USA -
DreamWorks
- UK -
Icon Entertainment (theatrical)
Warner Home Video (DVD)
- Australia -
Paramount Pictures
released = October 13, 2000
runtime = 126 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget = $9,000,000 USD
imdb_id = 0208874

"The Contender" (2000) is a political thriller starring Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater. The film was directed by Rod Lurie and focuses on a U.S. Democratic President (played by Jeff Bridges) and the events surrounding his appointment of a new Vice President (Joan Allen).

tory

The President, in the wake of his Vice President's death, is seeking the confirmation of his replacement. President Evans considers nominating a loyal Governor of Virginia, Jack Hathaway, to the position. However, when Hathaway witnesses a car drive off a bridge, tries to save the driver and fails, the President drops him, claiming that his administration can't afford another Chappaquiddick. The President then nominates a talented female Senator as his vice president, only to see her accused of sexual immorality by Republicans, possibly with the help of his first choice for VP. Refusing to dignify the ever-escalating attacks with a response, the Vice Presidential nominee poses a tough question: would having adventuresome sex as a college student even be an issue at all if she were a man?

Cast and characters

*Gary Oldman as Rep. Sheldon Runyon (R-IL). Runyon is a conservative Republican who leads the attack on the nominee, namely by leaking rumors on the Internet, overseeing accusations of prostitution, and challenging the nominee's liberal position on abortion.

*Joan Allen as Sen. Laine Billings Hanson (D-OH). The nominee for Vice President. She is a Republican-turned-Democrat who fiercely guards her privacy. A coincidence is that Joan Allen had one of her very first jobs ever as an actress working for producer Douglas Urbanski in Chicago in the late 1970's.

*Jeff Bridges as President Jackson Evans. In the DVD commentary, Lurie explained the President does not have a confrontational personality, but relies on his charm to achieve his aims. Lurie's first choice was Paul Newman. Producer Douglas Urbanski objected to that idea and suggested Jeff Bridges instead.

*Christian Slater as Rep. Reginald Webster (D-DE). A Democrat who allies with Runyon to defeat the nominee. He later allies with the President.

*Sam Elliott as Chief of Staff Kermit Newman. Inside man to Jackson Evans, Democratic watch dog, and is President Evans' most trusted aide. Oversees Senator Hanson's confirmation for the Presidency.

*William Petersen as Governor Jack Hathaway (D-VA). A popular Democrat and the President's heir-apparent. He has good relations with Runyon and is Runyon's preference for the Vice Presidency. Hathaway is also motivated by his decidedly ambitious wife.

*Saul Rubinek as Jerry Toliver. He is a Democrat and Press Secretary to President Evans.

*Philip Baker Hall as Oscar Billings. He is Laine Hanson's father and former Republican Governor of Ohio.

*Mike Binder as Lewis Hollis. He is Laine Hanson's legal counsel.

*Robin Thomas as William Hanson. He is the husband of Laine Billings Hanson and Campaign Manager. He was previously married and had an affair with then Laine Billings while campaigning for Senator.

*Kathryn Morris as Special Agent Paige Willomina. A clever FBI agent who collects information leading to the revelation of Governor Hathaway's liability in the car tragedy victim's death, to the complete surprise of many.

Reception

"The Contender" received mostly positive reviews. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1100998-contender/ "The Contender" Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes ] ] [ [http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/contender Contender, The (2000): Reviews ] ] Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four, calling it "one of those rare movies where you leave the theater having been surprised and entertained, and then start arguing." Despite the film's R rating and limited appeal of its subject, it performed steadily at the box office. The film generated over $5 million at the box office its opening weekend [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=contender.htm "The Contender" (2000) - Weekend Box Office Results ] ] on its way to a total gross just under $18 million, [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=contender.htm "The Contender" (2000) ] ] almost double its budget of $9 million. [ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2000/CNTDR.php "The Contender" - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information - The Numbers ] ]

"The Contender" was nominated for two Academy Awards: Joan Allen for Best Actress and Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor.

The film has also been the subject of controversy, which revolves around the fact that the President and Senator Hanson, the primary protagonists, are both Democrats, and the primary antagonist is the Republican Runyon, played by Gary Oldman. In an October 2000 issue of Premiere magazine, Oldman supposedly criticized the final product. He alleged that editing cuts were made due to the studio's Democratic leanings. Oldman and the film's producer, Douglas Urbanski, reportedly accuse DreamWorks heads Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg - all Democrats - of "turning the political drama upside down to make it mesh with their pro-Al Gore agendas". "If your names are Spielberg, Katzenberg, and Geffen," Urbanski declared, "you can't have a film with a Republican character … who is at all sympathetic … being released on October 13 (less than a month before the Presidential election)." Oldman claimed when DreamWorks bought the film rights, the company forced director/writer Rod Lurie to turn "The Contender" into an unbalanced, "Democrat-friendly tale". However, DreamWorks spokesman Walter Parkes denied the charges. "There's no indication to me whatsoever that Rod [Lurie] ever felt pressured" and that "One only has to look at the coverage of the [Democratic] convention to see that the owners of this company have sympathies with the Democratic Party. Did those sympathies enter into the editorial process...or the decision to buy the movie? Unequivocally, no." Moreover, Ebert reported that Oldman's denunciation of the film never happened, and quoted Urbanski as saying Oldman is "the least political person I know" and taking credit for producing the film independently from DreamWorks, which eventually adopted it. [cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20001102/COMMENTARY/111010302/1023|title=Making of a myth |last=Ebert |first=Roger |authorlink=Roger Ebert |date=2000-11-02 |publisher=Rogerebert.com |accessdate=2008-09-30] [cite web|url=http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2000/cyb20001013_extra.asp|title="The Contender" Film Made Pro-Gore?|date=2000-10-13|publisher=Media Research Center|accessdate=2008-09-30] Additionally, director Rod Lurie's alleged anti-religion leanings in the film's story became controversial. Senator Hanson was an atheist, a fact that was laid out in the beginning of the film yet never came back to haunt her candidacy as it might have in the real world. [cite web|url=http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=131296&buy=closed&Tab=reviews&CID=13#tabs|title="The Contender"|last=Armstrong|first=Rod|publisher=Reel.com|accessdate=2008-09-30]

References

External links

*imdb title | id=0208874 | title=The Contender
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/thecontenderhunter.htm Washington Post Film Review]