filmcritic . com presents a review from staff member norm schrager . you can find the review with full credits at <a href= " http : //filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/aa3c88368f877b5e8825695b00047bfd ? opendocument " >http : //filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/aa3c88368f877b5e8825695b00047bfd ? opendocument</a> a day after the west wing ruled the emmy awards , rod lurie's white house drama the contender screened at the boston film festival . with that kind of timing , comparisons are unavoidable . so with the contender boasting an intriguing storyline ( woman nominated for the vice presidency ) and a top-line cast , how is it that i was pining for martin sheen by movie's end ? i blame lurie , for what i believe to be a true dud of the fall season . lurie is an l . a . film critic-turned-filmmaker who made his debut with last year's virtually unseen deterrence , with kevin pollak as the president . lurie's back to politics again , and this time it's jeff bridges as commander-in-chief , and he'd like to appoint senator laine hanson ( joan allen , in a role written especially for her ) to the vp vacancy . not so easy . the senator has enemies , like gary oldman's congressman sheldon runyon . his team digs up dirty pictures from hanson's youth , and all hell breaks loose for the senator . it's not so much fun for us either . the primary problem is that lurie just can't direct . he rushes and bumps through his somewhat appealing script in the first half , just so we can get to that naughty photo . and with predictable plot points , such as a clumsy , oh-so-secret rendezvous to pass over the pictures , it seems that lurie read some book about moments needed to make a government conspiracy movie . no wonder the guy's favorite film is all the president's men . and i'm not sure he knows where to place the camera . not once do we get a satisfying wide shot within the oval office , or anywhere in the white house for that matter ( don't have that trouble with the west wing , do you ? ) . at one point , he follows oldman running down a set of stairs with a jarring , useless steadicam shot , borrowing from others' styles with no narrative purpose . speaking of narrative , there are problems there too . lurie's subject matter is admirable , but it takes way too long to get from setup to dénouement . much of the screenplay smacks of a trying-too-hard intensity , and scattered visuals ( the senator jogs through arlington national cemetery -- i get it ! ) are as heavy-handed as lurie's obvious politics . and although the president's been in office 6˝ years , he's continually amazed by the variety of food at the white house , ordering a snack at every opportunity . cute once , passable twice , stupid the fifth time . what's inexcusable , though , is the hypocrisy in this film . while lurie chides the act of digging up the photo , he revels in its discovery , showing us a gang-bang snapshot 5 or 6 times . later , after his screenplay smartly supports a politician's right to privacy , and we're sure hanson's past is immaterial to her success , the president asks for lurid details and she tells him ! in my eyes , that cheats the character , and it's a huge , cowardly cop-out . on the bright side , joan allen continues to be one of this country's best actors , and she'll probably pull an oscar nomination for this one . she brings such a stoic pride to hanson that i'd vote for her in a second . oldman , who has spent much of his career overacting , is subdued and natural as runyon , and the likable bridges is just plain goofy . how did lurie get such talent in this picture anyway ! ? i figure either most actors are thrilled to sink their teeth into political issues , or this guy smooched a lot of butt while reviewing movies in l . a . either way , fall will arrive , you'll make your decision on the upcoming election , and hopefully , you will vote . and , if hungry for fictional politics , you should stay home and see what ol' president bartlett is up to . 
