Those ideals include a commitment to gun control, backing the American Civil Liberties Union and a fierce advocacy of environmental issues. While backing same, he encounters Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), an environmental lobbyist. Get that name: masculine steel, feminine velvet, the whole package. Andy falls,but he doesn’t skulk around the White House, using the Secret Service as pimps with beepers. He’s right out front, dropping in to buy roses from an astonished florist, dancing with Syd at an astonished state dinner, driving his own astonished car on a date.
Despite his upfrontness, Andy’s morals are attacked (it’s an election year) by his adversary, right-wing Sen. Robert Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss). How about that Dickensian name–screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is good with these Post-it labels. Rumson’s attacks cause those approval ratings to fall, to the horror of Andy’s staff, including top aide Martin Sheen, press secretary Anna Deavere Smith, adviser Michael J. Fox. (Yes, Fox is little and cute, just like you know who.) But Andy is steadfast despite the dropping numbers, despite the inevitable flare-up with Syd. Does virtue triumph-plus gun control, the ACLU and the environment? Would a shopping network sell you a defective president?
All this is good fun–some of which is anticipating the pained reaction from conservative Hollywood-hasslers. Director Rob Reiner has a fine smooth touch, Douglas is charismatic, Bening is scrumptious–you want to put all these dream politicos in a doggy bag and take them home. To our home, the White House.
