Fifteen years ago, Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing aired for the first time on American television. Beyond that, The West Wing was as popular and influential as it was acclaimed, and it established creator Aaron Sorkin as a master of quality, thoughtful television. The film grossed $10 million in its opening weekend (finishing third), $9.7 million in its second weekend, and $5.3 million in its third (finishing sixth both times). Cruz stated, "...and if Donald wants to get into a character fight, he’s better off sticking with me because Heidi is way out of his league,” referencing the speech President Shepherd made about Rumson's attacks on Sydney Ellen Wade. They wanted him to play a similar character for television. Written by Aaron Sorkin in a (with hindsight) dry run for “The West Wing”, “The American President” brings wit, wisdom and warmth to the screen, showing the very best of the American political system and making the most of its to-die-for cast. The show follows the staff of the current President of the United States (played by Martin Sheen) as they live their daily lives and deal with the inner workings of the White House. At that point, Sorkin took David's advice and never watched The West Wing again. The West Wing The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. At first, it looked like The West Wing would face the same fate. The show's legitimacy, political slant, and idealist representations of Washington, as well as its notable writing and film merits, have generated considerable discussion. Sorkin, on the basis of his treatment, was selected by Redford to write the screenplay with the expectation that Redford would star. are conflicted by this information both by how they learned it and because it reveals that their crime bill is in jeopardy. West Wing addicts will feel right at home with Douglas's liberal president fighting the machinations of the Republican opposition over a range of familiar issues, like the environment and gun control. In the meantime, Sorkin developed another program that drew from The American President. The actor's death not only changed his character's fate. While he tries to politically justify his actions by defending the crime bill as his top priority, she rebuffs him for expending too much political capital on a weakly-worded bill with little chance of preventing crime. At the White House Christmas Party, Wade is dejected about her meeting that day with three Congressmen from Michigan about the environmental bill and how it was a dismal failure; in the process, she inadvertently mentions to the President and A.J. He declares he will send the controversial environmental bill to Congress with a massive 20% cut in fossil fuels – far more than the 10% originally envisioned – and that he is withdrawing his support for the weak crime bill, promising to write a stronger one in due time including significant gun control measures. [20], In April 2013, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd drew a sharp contrast between President Obama's unsuccessful effort to secure passage of expanded background-check legislation in the Senate, on one hand, and the all-out vote-gathering effort in The American President. In The American President, Sydney Ellen Wade is ultimately fired from her lobbyist position because the president has brokered a deal that causes her legislative effort to fail. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. Report Save. "He wanted to know why there was no national security advisor on the show," Sorkin told The Hollywood Reporter. RELATED: 10 Best Episodes of West Wing According to IMDb. https://westwing.fandom.com/wiki/President_of_the_United_States But while the pilot did okay with focus groups in general, it performed very well with certain demographics. Eventually, Wade does manage to get enough votes to meet her part of the deal. The Bartlet administration's spin is that they invite in overlooked groups to have an audience with the president and his staff, but it only seems to bring in fringe elements, such as a UFO truther and a group that wants to build a highway for wolves. A local resident approached the barricades set up by production, producer Kevin Falls said at the 2017 ATX Festival (via EW) and asked to speak to directors. Here's an inside look at the inside-the-White House TV classic, The West Wing. Sorkin has been known to say that much of the first season was actually taken from material he edited out of the first draft of The American President's script. Popular Democratic President Andrew Shepherd is preparing to run for re-election. A political drama with Martin Sheen in the role of … Other sources suggested that Redford and Reiner "didn't get along,...It was a personality thing. You know what I forgot to do today? As Wade's boyfriend, Shepherd knows that she was venting about a bad day, but as the President, he cannot ignore the opportunity to pass the crime bill by going back on his deal with her as a political operative. share. And early in the show's development, chief of staff Leo McGarry was named Leo Jacoby, and Sorkin wanted Taxi actor Judd Hirsch to play him. I’ve watched TWW about 14 times all the way through and this was my first time watching American President. Similarly, in the final episode of the third season of The West Wing, Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman uses the same tactic and ends up getting Amy Gardner fired from her position at the Women's Leadership Conference. A look inside the houses and sets you've seen onscreen in TV shows and movies, from "Something's Gotta Give" to "Practical Magic." Siskel praised Douglas and Bening for their performances;[17] he did, however, disapprove of Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins' decision to cast Douglas and Sheen in the same film and especially in similar roles within that film, expressing the worry that the similarity between the two actors' appearances would lead audiences to confuse their respective characters. [23], The film is recognized by the American Film Institute as #75 in its 2002 list of 100 Years...100 Passions. Shepherd declares he is "gonna stand at her front door till she lets me in. Sheen read the script, loved it, and agreed to star. “It is rare in your career to see [a pilot] that absolutely must make it to air. MacInerney (Martin Sheen), "Someday, someone is going to have to explain to me the virtue of a proportional response." So many quotable‘s that transferred into the west wing. If it passes, however, Shepherd's re-election is presumed by his staff to be a shoo-in, and Shepherd resolves to announce the bill, and the Congressional support to pass it, by his State of the Union Address. Staffers in the Obama administration didn't let strangers into the White House, but they were made available on social media to answer questions or listen to concerns from regular Americans. Going into its fourth season in 2002, the show carried a $2.7 million per episode price tag, according to Entertainment Weekly. When Reiner was brought aboard to direct, however, Redford dropped out. The site's critical consensus reads: "A charming romantic comedy with political bite, Rob Reiner's The American President features strong lead performances and some poignant observations of politics and media in the 1990s. The American President is a 1995 romantic drama directed by Rob Reiner (in his first film after the infamous North) and written by Aaron Sorkin, starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Inspired by the spirit of Big Block of Cheese Day, both the original President Jackson incident and the gentle mockery of it on The West Wing, President Barack Obama instituted the practice in 2014. "[10], In later interviews, writer Aaron Sorkin told TV Guide he wrote the screenplay while high on crack cocaine. This is to say that Sorkin had to jump through a few hoops to get NBC to agree to order The West Wing to series. We warm to President Jed Bartlet in The West Wing. One of the issues touched on in the film and developed in the series relates to gun control bills, developed in "Five Votes Down". level 1. While the bill is ultimately withdrawn by President Shepherd because it is ineffectual, on the series President Bartlet and his staff work hard to pass their bill even though it is badly flawed (and end up doubly unhappy when VP John Hoynes, whom the President and senior staff are feuding with, clinches the bill for them by persuading an influential southern Democrat to support it). The actor's death not only changed his character's fate but the series-capping election of The West Wing. West Wing writer and producer Lawrence O'Donnell believed that it would be too sad and too tough on viewers to have a well-liked character die and have him fail to win the election, so the storyline was reversed. Renting out the elaborate and detailed Oval Office set. The West Wing was created by Aaron Sorkin and premiered on NBC in 1999. Future Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss found her breakthrough role as presidential daughter Zoey, narrowly beating The Wonder Years' Danica McKellar. As a recovering alcoholic and former secretary of labor who became a trusted advisor to President Bartlet, Leo McGarry was complex. "[9] However, Wade enters the Oval Office before he can leave. In the series, actress Kayla Blake portrayed TV producer Kim, and in real life, her real name is Elsie Sniffen, which, come on, can't be a coincidence. So many quotable‘s that transferred into the west wing. Sorkin ignored him and tuned in to the first episode of the show's fifth season. December 20, 1989. 21 hours ago. Josh and Amy are dating when this takes place, just as the main characters are here. He didn't give a reason for his departure, but West Wing insiders said the show suffered from budget problems and slipping ratings while Sorkin was suffering burnout. Prior to Spencer's passing, the show's writers had decided that the Democratic ticket of Santos and McGarry would lose to the Republican offering of Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) and Ray Sullivan (Brett Cullen). Sununu. And it worked. … The pair won the election in an April 2006 episode, and McGarry was named the country's incoming vice president. "[22], In the 2016 Presidential election candidate Ted Cruz paraphrased a portion of The American President when fellow candidate Donald Trump insulted Cruz's wife. Sorkin found the name Josiah Bartlet, the president of the United States as portrayed by Martin Sheen, by looking to real political history. With Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Cookies help us deliver our Services. On the morning that he is to deliver his State of the Union Address, and after an argument with A.J. Nina Siemaszko was born on July 14, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Antonina Jadwiga Siemaszko. In both cases, the President chooses a military response that is relatively measured, but in the movie President Shepherd never considers a "disproportionate" response while President Bartlet plans such an action to destroy a large civilian airport in Syria; he eventually gives the green light for a strike similar to the one used in the movie. Composer Marc Shaiman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score for The American President. I forgot to feel the President's glands." The film ends with Shepherd handing Wade a bouquet of roses and dogwoods (the state flower of her native Virginia), and entering the House chamber to thunderous applause. There were so many characters on The West Wing, particularly in its debut in 1999. Shepherd and A.J. ", Sorkin does have a seed of a revival idea, though. 20. share. More significant is the issue of a "proportional response" to military attacks on American assets abroad. Many actors noted for work in sitcoms, including John Goodman, Alan Alda, John Larroquette, Christopher Lloyd, Ed O'Neill, Matthew Perry, Patricia Richardson, Lily Tomlin, Wayne Wilderson, and Daniel von Bargen appeared in dramatic roles on The West Wing With the President of France about to arrive in the United States to attend a state dinner in his honor, Shepherd – widowed when his wife died of cancer three years earlier – is placed in an awkward predicament when his cousin Judith, with whom he had planned to attend the dinner, gets sick. And it certainly wasn't a one-person job on The West Wing. Thousands of people work in the West Wing, the East Wing, the Cabinet, and the Executive Office of the President. "I keep saying to him, 'Do you want to do The West Wing again, wouldn't it be great to do it?' From 1999 to 2006, when America optimistically stood at the beginning of a new millennium, The West Wing offered a utopian but still highly dramatic look at what democracy could be. [11], An extensive White House set, of both the East and West Wings, was built on the Castle Rock Entertainment lot in Culver City. President Bush talks on the telephone in the Oval Office Study to Sec. David Rose/NBC/Newsmakers/Getty. The Aaron Sorkin political drama aired from 1996 to 2006 and the show’s cast was truly amazing: Martin Sheen starred as President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet, a man full of inspiring quotes. The two productions follow the staff of a largely idealized White House, and like many of Sorkin's projects, share ideologies. Her disappearance was never explained, and she was never even mentioned again. Reply. Michael Douglas and Annette Bening have real chemistry as the widowed president and the political lobbyist with whom he falls in love. However, talks broke down, and the next name on the list was double Oscar recipient Jason Robards. [6][7] The American Film Institute ranked The American President No. It's all above-board, but "politics is perception," and sparks fly anyway. He muses for a single line "Someday, someone's gonna have to explain to me the virtue of a proportional response", before giving the order. The predecessor to "The West Wing" (seriously, see how many plot points are later repeated in that show), this film stars Michael Douglas as a father, widower, resident of Wisconsin, card-carrying member of the ACLU, member of the Democractic Party, and...oh yeah, President of the United States. Production company Warner Bros. invented those categories to persuade NBC into a purchase. Kate and the President are returning to the White House from visiting with Admiral Fitzwallace's widow. Plenty of actors came and went from the series over its seven-year run, but nonetheless, The West Wing had one of the most impressive and carefully crafted ensembles in TV history. The series lasted for seven seasons, ending in 2006. Big sets. 63 of 68 found this interesting Interesting? Peter Roth of production company Warner Bros. had reservations, however, claiming that every show every set in Washington, D.C., had failed. This collection of essays translates visual language into on-screen politics. The two productions follow the staff of a largely idealized White House, and like many of Sorkin's projects, share ideologies. Producers and casting directors had tough choices to make about actors, and it might've wound up a totally different show had they made different selections. that the Congressmen in question said the only bill they were more interested in defeating than the President's crime bill was Wade's environmental bill. With Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, John Spencer. [19], In January 2012, while criticizing then-leader of the opposition Tony Abbott in a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australian Federal Minister Anthony Albanese plagiarised several lines from The American President. What with its expansive sets depicting the inner sanctum of the White House, location shoots, a large cast, big paychecks for creator and chief writer Aaron Sorkin, and fees paid to production companies, The West Wing was a very expensive show to make. Janel Moloney originally read for the role … The couple reconcile and the President, accompanied by Wade, leaves to give his State of the Union Address. The set's Oval Office was later reused for the films Nixon and Independence Day. The next night, the show captured footage on a street in D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood. After the U.S. The movie which fertilised the minds of those who would commission The West Wing, and at last gave us a Prez to root for. The West Wing opens its season tonight without its creator, Aaron Sorkin, but with John Goodman having replaced Martin Sheen in the Oval Office. The West Wing’s President Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, dropped many pearls of wisdom over his many years on the show. Ebert said after detesting North he was very happy and pleased to give Reiner's next film a unanimously positive review. Fox in The American President playing one of the President's political aides. Tragically, he died of a heart attack in his hotel room on election night, off-screen, right before the polls closed. Debuting in 1993, that Josh Lyman also worked in the White House, as a deputy cabinet liaison. Before The West Wing took residence in this fake Oval Office, the same one was used, with some minimal touch-ups, for the movies Nixon and Independence Day. Directed by Rob Reiner. The real reason "The West Wing" had to be cancelled was that to realistically portray a White House headed by either of these men would be that given political reality, such a move would be a venture into total implausibility or distatesful television with despicable characters. It was something of a surprise then when he abruptly quit the series in May 2003. In the film Air Force One the president … The West Wing is Aaron Sorkin's baby. The screenplay for the film inspired many aspects of Sorkin's later television drama The West Wing. The American President: The West Wing on the Big Screen by HOOKEDONHOUSES on JANUARY 18, 2009 I n honor of Inauguration Week, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the Michael Douglas-Annette Bening romantic comedy “ The American President ” for Movie Monday . Richert also claimed that the television series The West Wing was derived from part of the same screenplay. 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