The 37,100,001 Story Under the Search Term "Political Movies"
by Larson Hill

Before I get into any politics, I have an interesting tid-bit to share. I’ve written this over the span of two days and when I began there were 36,000,000 results in Google under the search term "political movies". In just 24 hours, an additional 1,100,000 more results have turned up. So, to be fair, this was supposed be the 36,000,0001 result.

So...

What’s the hottest topic for an entertainment editor to write at the present time? If you don’t know, read the first paragraph again. Just three days removed from the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, it’s still the buzz surrounding his victory.

Since the race for the White House began, the web has been flooded with more movie Top 10 lists related to the election than ever before. For an entertainment editor, it only makes sense to jump into the fray given the many political movies made over the years and the timing of Obama’s win.

Top 10 Political Movies - R.I.P.

After scouring Google to see what’s already been done under the search term "political movies", it soon became clear that almost every "political movies" list on the internet is the same, with slight variations here and there. And then it dawned on me about five pages into the search that the "Top Political Movies" thing is done. Not just done, but DEAD! You know, like Raid and bugs. Much like this will be when it takes its place within the online ether, it will simply become political search friendly filler. By the time 2012 election rolls around, at least there’s a chance the next wave of "political moves" lists might feature something new.

Too Many Votes

Let’s be honest here, most "Top Political Movies" lists you’ll find on the web are great, and most cover the necessary bases, but by now we all know which political movies are the finer cuts above the rest. For the past few weeks I’ve often thought about writing a "political movies" list. But each time I sat down to give it serious brainpower; the same question kept rolling over in my mind - What more can I say about All the President’s Men, The Manchurian Candidate, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wag the Dog, Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, Citizen Kane, The Candidate, Being There, All the Kings Men and the other select group of amazing political movies? I mean, seriously. By the time you get ten pages into an online search, you’re seeing The Bourne movies, Rambo, and anything that has some form of political tie in.

The Winds of Change

The most surprising inclusion that I’ve noticed on a lot of "Top 10 Political Movies" lists is Oliver Stone’s JFK. Not because it doesn’t deserve to make lists, but simply due to the fact that history is now surprisingly warm and fuzzy toward JFK. I can’t think of too many movies in the past 20 years that were as critically reviled and ferociously attacked as JFK. If you’re old enough to remember the film’s release, it was a lot like that scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame when the townsfolk lit their torches, grabbed their pitchforks, and set out to lynch the disfigured Quasimodo. Although you could say that about the pre-release buzz surrounding most Oliver Stone movies, it’s the change in public perception that I find both surprising and fascinating. Hell, Stone’s W. didn’t take as much flack as JFK... and for obvious reasons. And what blows me away even more is that I’ve already seen W. on a few Top 10 Political Movies lists already. Come on!

Top 10 Reform:

Although the perception of a movie’s success is completely subjective, what I’ve come to realize is that there are only so many ways to skin a political cat. But you can’t write a "political movies" list and include All the Presidents Men yet exclude Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in favor of, say... Iron Man! I mean, arms dealing, the Middle East, the government? And if I ever see a Top 10 Political Movies list that consists of Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men, and any other "super hero" property, I’m calling B.S. because none of them could ever come close to the politics within Watchmen.