The Fictional US Presidents We Wish Were Real

President’s Day is a time to reflect on some great leaders this nation has had in the past. As pop culture geeks, we like to spend the occasion remembering some great fictional leaders we’ve had in movies and television, too.

This year, we also look to the future, because it’s a major election year and depending on our political leanings, our next president could be someone we’re immediately really unhappy with.

So, we’re wishing the following favorite fictional commanders-in-chief were real, and electable alternatives to the candidates we do have. Let us know which movie or TV president you’d rather have in office in the comments section.

 

Matthew Monagle: The President (Donald Pleasence) from Escape from New York

When it comes to listing the best career performances of Sir Donald Pleasence (and he is SIR Donald, and must be referred to as such in perpetuity) you can do a lot worse than the President in John Carpenter’s Escape from New York. His simpering cowardice and signature line readings (“You’re the Duke, you’re A-Number 1!”) make him one of the decade’s most fun characters to quote, and nothing – and I do mean nothing – quite beats the sight of a man built like George Costanza unloading an assault rifle onscreen. None of this, of course, represents a particularly controversial perspective on the film.

But as far as fictitious presidents goes? Here is where I think we’ve been selling President Pleasence a little short. It’s not that he makes for a particularly strong or decisive leader; instead, let’s think about the 24 hour news cycle. In the universe that Carpenter and Russell created, the most powerful man on the planet cracks like an egg when imprisoned by extras from The Road Warrior and spends the rest of the movie whimpering lines of subservience to the self-named Duke before gunning him down on the sidewalk. If you think Fox News and MSNBC are crazy now, can you imagine what television and social media would be like once word of that filtered back to the public? Can you picture President Pleasence sitting down with Bill O’Reilly to discuss his second amendment rights? I mean, if we Kickstart it on his behalf, Carpenter has to make it. I’m pretty sure that’s how crowdfunding works.

Rob Hunter: Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) from Dave 

Cinema is filled with fictional American presidents who entertain with their fists (Air Force One), their choice of friends (Olympus Has Fallen) and their humanity (The American President), but if I had to pick one who I’d actually want to see occupy the Oval Office in the real world there’s really only one choice: Dave, from 1993’s Dave.

The film itself is fantastic — a brilliantly talented cast and a sharp script come together for Ivan Reitman’s last great feature — and at the heart of it all is Dave (Kevin Kline). Sure, he wasn’t technically elected into the position, but in his short time there he does the one thing most presidents — real or imagined — fail to do. He gets shit done. It’s mostly due to his personality, but his lack of political ambition is just as important. The movie makes an unintentional argument for a single-term presidency which would allow the person running the country to focus on doing their job rather than trading favors and stumping for re-election. It’ll never happen, unfortunately, but Dave serves as a wonderful fantasy for adults and wish-fulfillment for those who hope the government would someday take their job seriously. Kline gives a warm and witty performance, too, so much so that you might just find yourself writing in “Dave” for the next presidential election.