The Contender (2000 film)
| The Contender | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Rod Lurie |
| Produced by | Marc Frydman Douglas Urbanski Willi Baer James Spies |
| Written by | Rod Lurie |
| Starring |
Gary Oldman Joan Allen Jeff Bridges Christian Slater Sam Elliott William L. Petersen Saul Rubinek Philip Baker Hall Mike Binder Robin Thomas Mariel Hemingway Kathryn Morris |
| Music by | Larry Groupé |
| Cinematography | Denis Maloney |
| Edited by | Michael Jablow |
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Production
company |
Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG
Cinecontender Battleground Productions SE8 Group |
| Distributed by | DreamWorks Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $22,361,811 |
The Contender is a 2000 political drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie. It stars Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater. The film focuses on a fictional United States President (played by Bridges) and the events surrounding his appointment of a new Vice President (Allen).
The film serves as a response to the Lewinsky scandal that arose during the presidency of Bill Clinton. It also became the subject of controversy regarding alterations that allegedly displeased Oldman, who co-produced. Joan Allen was nominated for Best Actress and Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Second-term Democratic U.S. President Jackson Evans must select a new Vice President following the sudden death of his previous vice president. The obvious choice seems to be Virginia Governor Jack Hathaway, who is hailed as a hero after he recently dove into a lake in a failed attempt to save a drowning girl. The President instead decides that his "swan song" will be helping to break the glass ceiling by nominating Laine Hanson, a talented Democratic senator from Ohio. In accordance with the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, approval from both houses of Congress is required. Standing in her way is Republican Congressman Sheldon Runyon of Illinois, who believes she is unqualified for the position, and backs Hathaway for the nod. His investigation into her background turns up an incident where she was apparently photographed participating in a drunken orgy as part of a sorority initiation. He is joined in his opposition by Democratic Representative Reginald Webster.
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