Top Five: Inspiring Political Movies for the Sappy Dreamer in All of Us

You tell 'em, Jimmy.

​It's Election Day, which inevitably means the acceptance of bitter compromise and unfulfilled dreams. But it doesn't have to be that way, or at least, not in the movies. These five films are guaranteed heart-warmers, and they're practically an antidote to the attitude of irony and disinterest that permeates the current political and cultural sphere. Because admit it: there's still a sucker inside you who believes in this stuff, if only for a little while.

5. The American President
Aaron Sorkin's Capra-flavored optimism is always something to behold, whether it's in the genuinely well-meaning characters of The West Wing or the White House-centered romantic comedy of The American President. Watching the 1995 film can be a little jarring today -- any depiction of a presidential administration not bogged down in multiple unwinnable wars feels somehow wrong, or at least quaint -- but don't let that throw you. The screenplay is a warm, winning one about a leader just trying to do what's right, and Rob Reiner's competent direction is perfectly suited to the film's generally amiable tone. Funny, touching, and possessive of a typically grand Sorkin speech, it's a movie to watch when you need a reminder that government of and by the people just might be a good thing.