The Contender (2000) * * *

Directed by:  Rod Lurie

Starring:  Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Gary Oldman, Sam Elliot, William Petersen, Christian Slater

The Contender is a political drama that pulls no punches.     It was made and released fresh off the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal (it is even referenced here) and there is plenty of anger about that fiasco simmering under the surface.    Mix in some good old-fashioned sexism and political backstabbing and you have The Contender, which focuses its plot around the Senate confirmation of the first female Vice-President.

The VP to President Jackson Evans (Bridges) dies and the person expected to be appointed to the position is Gov. Jack Hathaway (Petersen).     Hathaway's life hits a snag during a fishing trip in which a car plunges off a bridge in front of him and he attempts unsuccessfully to save the female driver.    (Chappaquiddick, anyone?)      This scandal paves the way for Evans to nominate Illinois Senator Laine Hanson (Allen) as the next VP.     This causes considerable consternation to Sen. Shelly Runyon (Oldman), who was fully prepared to confirm Hathaway in a walk and now must conduct the confirmation hearing for a candidate he sees as less than desirable.

Runyon's misgivings about Laine are based on sexist myths ("What if she is having her period when it comes time to push the button?"), but things escalate when a photo surfaces alleging that Laine participated in a gangbang while in college.     It sures does look like her face in the photo, but Laine flatly refuses to answer any questions regarding the incident during the confirmation hearings.       She believes the incident has no bearing on her ability to be VP, but others want to know the answers simply to satisfy their nosy curiosity.     Anyone who followed the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal even a little bit understands that people are much more interested in the hot button issues of sex than whether someone is competent at doing his job. 

Laine sticks to her guns, even if it may cost her the nomination.     It certainly would've made her life easier to answer the questions, but her principles tell her otherwise.     "Principles are only strong when you stand by them when they're inconvenient," she tells the President.     Allen is strong and possesses a fierce intelligence perfect for the role.     She is not a martyr, but someone who realizes she must take a stand and defend it.     The President and his advisors (Elliot and Saul Rubinek) would love for her to just tackle the issue and move on.    They find Laine doesn't play ball and grudgingly admire her for it.

Meanwhile, a young FBI agent (Kathryn Morris) is snooping around asking questions as well.    Will she uncover the truth, or is there something greater afoot?     Runyon does his best to ensure that Laine isn't confirmed.    He attacks her on not just the photo, but her stance on abortion and other "issues" which really have no bearing on anything.    These issues seem to crop up every Presidential election as if they have any merit.      Runyon bases his disdain for the candidate by telling her, "I just don't see in you the promise of greatness," as if he has any clue what greatness is.

Oldman, barely recognizable underneath the glasses and receding hairline, is right at home as the villainous Runyon, who believes himself a moral and just man while conducting backroom meetings to thwart Laine's rise to VP.     Backstabbings and double crossings are so common here that after one takes place, there are still invitations to dinner involving all the parties.     Such things are part of the show in the world of politics.     President Evans puts his arm around a character who is arrested during a key meeting and behaves like an executioner trying to comfort an inmate on the way to the gas chamber.     Evans is folksy, hospitable, but with a keen instinct and an ability to play dirty with the best (or worst) of them.     Bridges is just the actor to play such a role.    He has made a career out of playing seemingly nice guys who know all the angles.  

The Contender does end with a Capraesque-type of ending in which the virtuous are rewarded and the villains deprived.     It doesn't quite match the tone of the preceding 95 minutes and it doesn't seem exactly right that everything would be resolved with a big speech.    However, The Contender is a thoughtful film that examines not only politics, but what is done in the name of politics.     How the players in Washington are able to do this day in and day out is astonishing.