Submitted by Hamblerger t3_10gtj7y in movies
I can think of two, and they both take place in D.C., though several decades apart.
In The American President, the widowed President Andrew Shepherd falls in love with Annette Benning's environmental lobbyist. Their relationship is immediately used by the President's political adversaries to attack him, with a long-ago picture of his new girlfriend at a protest where an American flag was burned being used to cast aspersions upon her character. Those attacking him are shown as venal and opportunistic, while Shepherd and Wade (the lobbyist) are obviously two people who are very much in love, unfairly maligned by their opponents for purely political reasons. It's an engaging comedy, topped by fine performances from the leads, a solid directorial effort from Rob Reiner, and Aaron Sorkin's typically snappy and witty dialogue.
Here's the issue: No matter how charming the romantic leads, how sincere their love for each other, or how ethically incorruptible Andrew Shepherd may be, the President of the United States is having a sexual relationship with a lobbyist with business before the United States government, and this movie doesn't see that as an actual problem. Worse, >!when he strikes a deal with three representatives to pass his crime bill by going back on his deal to support her environmental bill, he only changes his mind once she breaks it off with him. !<And remember, these are the people who are being shown as being in the right.
Great movie. Terrible, terrible message.
A shorter one, but for an arguably more beloved film: Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
Yes, it would be great if these kids you support through your youth organization had a place to go camping every year, Senator Smith, but wouldn't the dam they're planning on building there provide enough jobs to the surrounding community for their parents to be able to afford to take them on vacation anyway, as well as put food on their tables so that the kids can get an education rather than selling papers in the street to support their families? And even if some graft and kickbacks are unfortunately involved, isn't it more important during an economic depression to ensure that families can actually support themselves?
EDIT: Because it's come up
- I actually love both of these films, but was thinking of them in "What would I think if I was reading this in the paper rather than watching it on a screen?" sort of way, and realized that I would have had a very different opinion if so.
- I also think that both the stronger crime bill and the environmental bill in The American President were noble and positive goals. I just don't think that the actions of the main characters surrounding the issue of the President's romance were especially ethical, and do think that the criticism was largely justified.
EDIT 2: It was just pointed out to me in a very polite personal message that the dam in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington was never meant to be built in the first place, and was simply a graft scheme that would have provided little to no benefit to actual working people. I somehow missed that (I've seen the film twice, and years apart), so I'll withdraw my objections to that one.