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"It
is beneath my dignity." This is just one of the powerful moments
from one of this year's standout movies, The Contender. In
the
midst of a neck and neck presidential race, the movie comes
our at pinnacle time and illuminates the difference between
Republicans and Democrats.
The
movie chronicles the confirmation of a new vice-president.
The president, played by an affable and aloof Jeff Bridges,
chooses dark horse Laine Hanson, a woman, instead of going
with the seemingly heroic governor of Virginia that everyone
was expecting. Laine Hanson, played with steely confidence
and complete believability by Joan Allen, knows she is not
going to have an easy time being confirmed because she was
once a Republican but switched to the Democratic party. The
man that is in charge of the confirmation is Senator Shelly,
played by Gary Oldman, and he is out for blood. He launches
his own investigation into her private life and comes up with
an embarressing sexual escapade from college. He brings this
into the confirmation, yet Laine does not feel she has to
answer any questions regarding her personal life. The movie
goes from this point and has many surprising twists about
the truth of everyone's life.
Obviously,
the movie borrows from real life, regarding President Clinton's
supposedly god-awful sexual misconduct, yet Laine Hanson was
strong enough to stick by her guns and continue with her privacy
policy. Also, this movie raises important questions as too
a woman's treatment vs. a man's treatment in positions of
importance.
The
Contender is a great movie, though it does have some trite
moments at the end. Joan Allen and Gary Oldman stand out.
They deserve to be remembered when it is time for Oscar voting.
So far, this is one of the best movies I have seen all year.
Overall, I give the film an A-. 
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