# Contender, The (2000)

### reviewed by
Susan Granger

    http://www.susangranger.com/

    Susan Granger's review of "THE CONTENDER" (DreamWorks)

Is the United States really ready for a woman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? That's the challenging premise of this timely political thriller in which a Vice-President dies and Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) is chosen by the President (Jeff Bridges) as his successor. Her surprise selection meets with opposition, particularly from a powerful adversary (Gary Oldman) who heads the Congressional confirmation hearings and prefers another Senator (William Petersen), the hero in a recent tragic accident. Controversy erupts when an Internet site reveals a shocking incident from Hanson's college days, along with sexually explicit photographs. Now a happily married mother, she doesn't deny the allegations but refuses to discuss the sex scandal, contending that her personal past has no relevance on her public persona. It's principles vs. politics. Joan Allen's daring and affecting performance is not just one of the best of the year, it's one of the screen's best examples of a woman's vulnerable, stoic courage. This remarkable actress never hits a false note. Jeff Bridges is quite believable, as are Gary Oldman, William Petersen, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, Saul Rubinek, Mariel Hemingway and Philip Baker Hall. The multi-layered screenplay by Rod Lurie ("Deterrence") reveals one layer of surprise after another and his swiftly economical direction proceeds with a feverish sense of pace and tempo that keeps the attention riveted. Problem is: the buxom co-ed in the lurid photo bears little resemblance to the Senator and the heavy-handed running gag about the White House cuisine soon gets stale. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Contender" is an intriguing, enigmatic, compelling 8, despite Ben Franklin's referral to the post of Vice-President as "your superfluous excellency."

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