Continued from the earlier post.:)
I really enjoyed The American President a lot too, and there’s a similar theme to that of Sleepless in Seattle. Michael Douglas – Mr. Catherine-Zeta Jones LOL – plays the Democrat American President Andrew Shepherd who’s also widowed. He falls for an environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, played by Annette Bening, an actress I absolutely love watching onscreen.
Complicating their romance are the questions of how and if an American president should date other women, an nasty opposing Republication senator with presidential aspirations, and a certain unlucky Middle-Eastern country which President Shepherd (reluctantly) gives the order to bomb midway in the film.
The show also has lovely music composed by Marc Shaiman, pieces of which I seriously considered to use in when selecting wedding music a couple of years ago (blogged about here). The American President proved so successful that it formed the basis for the even more successful The West Wing TV series, which is one of the three favorite drama serials.
There’re several great scenes: including one where the President tries calling Wade for a date, but Wade thinks it’s a crank call (hilarious stuff), a very tender scene in the ‘China’ room where they nearly kiss, and finally the closing scene at State of the Union, set to Shaiman’s stirring music.
That said, Douglas is just OK and maybe just a little too smug as the President in the film. But it’s Bening who’s mesmerizing. Her character is intelligent, sassy and witty. The film is a must-watch if only for her, and Shaiman’s music.
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Ling loves Enchanted – so much that as we left the cinema theatre, she was continually humming the songs. And the film’s phrase ‘True love’s kiss’ has figured into her every day speech, especially when she wants something LOL.
As the story goes, a cartoon-world – literally – Princess Giselle, played by relative-unknown then Amy Adams who’s to wed her prince is teleported by the prince’s evil step mother to hell, or New York City that is.
Assisting her as she finds her way back is Patrick ‘McDreamy’ Dempsey, who is himself engaged and Giselle’s chipmunk friend.
Giselle is fun to watch, especially the segments showing her adjustment coming from a fairy-tale world and her expectation New York City to be the same. Dempsey still looks as good as he does in Grey’s Anatomy, and the two enjoy great chemistry. The best scene in the film is the ballroom segment, set to Jon McLaughlin’s ballad ‘So Close’ (lovely piece of music), and blogged about here with a video.
Of special mention are: Before Sunrise (1995) and the sequel, Before Sunset (2004), What Women Want (2000), Bed of Roses (1996) and finally Just Like Heaven (2005).
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