10 Movies to Watch Before the Next Presidential Election

Looking for some good comedies or dramas about the presidential election and the election process? Here are 10 movies to watch before the next presidential election. While some are serious dramas, there are no documentaries on this list. It also does not include TV shows like The West Wing.

Other movies which feature a prominent U.S. President character are also not included because the movie has not election slant. Some of those movies include Independence Day and Air Force One.

#10 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington has to receive a nod for being one of the first movies about an elected officials. While

#9 - The Dead Zone

The Dead Zone is one of the very few Stephen King movies that I will actually watch. When I first watched The Dead Zone, the impact of the presidential election plot had a profound impact on me. Christopher Walken gives one of his best performances in this must-see election year movie.

#8 - Welcome to Mooseport

Welcome to Mooseport is a low-key, fun comedy starring Gene Hackman and Ray Romano.

#7 - The American President

The American President is not higher on the list because I could never really buy Michael Douglas as the U.S. President. The American President is still a fun and entertaining comedy to watch during an election year.

#6 - Election

While Election is about a student election, it is still a good pick for a presidential election year. What will people do to get elected or become popular? How far will people lie and cheat to get what they want? You'll never disliked Reese Witherspoon as much as you will in Election. Matthew Broderick delivers a spot on performance as a pretty pathetic teacher. I won't give away anything else.

#5 - Dave

Why is Dave on the list? Because who doesn't need a good laugh during a presidential election year? Plus, Kevin Kline is always a joy to watch. In addition to being a fun movie, Dave also explore the concepts of bureaucracy, inflated government budgets, unemployment issues, and corruption. Sigourney Weaver plays a very graceful first lady.

#4 - All the President's Men

All the President's Men is more of a journalist's movie than a political movie. All the President's Men with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford covers the story of Woodward and Bernstein, and how they uncovered the Watergate scandal, article by article, in The Washington Post.

This movie about political corruption and the power of the press is a must-see in any presidential election year.

#3 - Running Mates

Running Mates is probably a movie you have not heard of before. It was a TV movie from 1992 starring the underrated Ed Harris and the fabulous Diane Keaton. Ed Harris plays a man running for office and Diane Keaton plays his girlfriend. Her character has a politically shaky and controversial past, which interferes with his election.

Running Mates is a fun romantic comedy to watch during an election year.

#2 - Primary Colors

On the other end of the laughter spectrum is Primary Colors. Primary Colors was based on a book which was "unofficially" based on the Clintons.

John Travolta plays an amazing Bill Clinton, and Emma Thompson does a nice Hillary. The movie is full of shenanigans, sub-plots, and the not-so pretty underbelly of American politics and the press. The movie focuses on the much-debated question: "How real do we want to allow our elected officials to be?"

#1 - Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog is the one movie that captures the political process for the manipulative machine that it is (sorry, does that sound cynical?). If you have not seen Dustin Hoffman and Robert de Niro in this movie, be sure to catch it before the next Presidential election.

Warning: this movie is not for the naive, innocent, or politically optimistic.