List Rules Only films about US presidents. Vote up the best presidential movies.
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The highest-ranking American is the President. We absolutely love hearing stories from behind the scenes about events that happened in the White House and get a thrill out of the controversies that have surrounded the government. It makes perfect sense that so many movies involve stories about our greatest Presidents and the Oval Office in one way or another. What are the best movies about presidents? Vote up the best films below and see where your favorite presidential films rank!
The movies on this list have been ranked as the best that tell a presidential story, whether the film focuses on a heroic aspect of a presidency or President, discusses the assassination of a President, or takes a completely fictional approach to the White House. There are many different stories that have been told in film about the office of the president plus, many great actors have played the president, and this list has the best of the best.
This list has the best movies about Presidents including, Independence Day, Nixon, The American President, Lincoln, White House Down, Olympus Has Fallen, Amistad, The Butler, Death of a President, and Air Force One. Vote up the best presidential films below or add one you love that isn't already on the list.
list ordered by
1
327 84
LincolnJoseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field Lincoln is a 2012 American epic historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The ...more
2
163 69
MaryLSchneider added All the President's MenRichard Nixon, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford All the President's Men is a 1976 American political thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Carl ...more
3
198 121
Air Force OneHarrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close Air Force One is a 1997 American political action thriller film written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed and co-produced by Wolfgang Petersen. It is about a group of Russian terrorists that ...more
4
171 106
The American PresidentAnnette Bening, Michael J. Fox, Michael Douglas The American President is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. The film stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. ...more
5
122 79
AmistadMorgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Anna Paquin Amistad is a 1997 historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of the 1839 mutiny aboard the slave ship La Amistad, during which Mende tribesmen taken and managed ...more
6
156 99
DaveKevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella Dave is a 1993 American political comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. To avoid a potentially explosive scandal when the U.S. President goes into a deep sleep, an affable temp agency owner ...more
7
189 108
JFKKevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon JFK is a 1991 American historical legal-conspiracy thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and subsequent ...more
8
135 67
Thirteen DaysKevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Chip Esten Thirteen Days is a 2000 American historical drama-thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson Kevin Costner stars, with Bruce Greenwood featured as President John F. Kennedy, Steven Culp as ...more
9
139 125
Independence DayWill Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction disaster film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. The film stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, ...more
10
130 73
Frost/NixonKevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Michael Sheen Frost/Nixon is a 2008 British-American historical drama film based on the 2006 play of the same name by Peter Morgan, who also adapted the screenplay. The film tells the story behind the ...more
11
115 66
NixonAnthony Hopkins, James Woods, Ed Harris Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of United States President Richard Nixon, played ...more
12
68 42
RobLein added The Manchurian CandidateFrank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American Cold War suspense thriller directed by John Frankenheimer that stars Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh and co-stars Angela Lansbury, ...more
13
46 21
RobLein added Seven Days in MayKirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, Burt Lancaster Seven Days in May is a 1964 drama-romance film written by Fletcher Knebel, Charles W. Bailey II and Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer.
14
80 57
Young Mr. LincolnHenry Fonda, Ward Bond, Donald Meek Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 partly fictionalized biopic about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck ...more
15
58 36
RobertWright added PT 109Robert Blake, Cliff Robertson, Robert Culp PT 109 is a 1963 biographical war film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy as an officer of the United States Navy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 during the Pacific War of ...more
16
109 92
Olympus Has FallenMorgan Freeman, Gerard Butler, Ashley Judd Olympus Has Fallen is a 2013 American action thriller film. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, it stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, with Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole ...more
17
90 58
TrumanGary Sinise, Tony Goldwyn, Željko Ivanek Truman is a 1995 HBO movie based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Truman. Starring Gary Sinise as Harry S. Truman, the film centers on Truman's rise to the presidency from ...more
18
107 111
White House DownChanning Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal White House Down is a 2013 American political action-thriller film directed by Roland Emmerich about an assault on the White House by a paramilitary group and the Capitol Police Officer who ...more
19
83 57
1776Blythe Danner, Ken Howard, William Daniels 1776 is a 1972 American musical film directed by Peter H. Hunt. The screenplay by Peter Stone was based on the 1969 stage musical 1776. The song score was composed by Sherman Edwards. The cast ...more
20
58 47
teddybear1029 added London Has FallenMorgan Freeman, Gerard Butler, Angela Bassett London Has Fallen is an upcoming American action thriller film directed by Babak Najafi and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast and Chad St. John. It is a ...more
21
90 74
The ButlerMariah Carey, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey The Butler is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and produced by Lee Daniels and written by Danny Strong. Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, the film stars Forest ...more
22
68 67
Absolute PowerClint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris Absolute Power is a 1997 American political thriller film produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel Absolute Power by ...more
23
46 26
RobLein added Fail SafeHenry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman Fail-Safe is a 1964 Cold thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. The film features performances by veteran actors ...more
24
48 65
My Fellow AmericansLauren Bacall, Dan Aykroyd, Jack Lemmon My Fellow Americans is a 1996 American comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner as feuding ex-presidents. Dan Aykroyd, Lauren Bacall, Esther Rolle, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Bradley ...more
25
63 89
W.Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Josh Brolin W. is a 2008 American biographical drama film loosely based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It was produced and directed by Oliver Stone, written by Stanley Weiser, and stars Josh ...more
not on the list? add item #42
List Rules: Only films about US presidents. Vote up the best presidential movies.
