From The Trail To The Screen: Hotline's Best In Show
With the casting of Julianne Moore as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) in the upcoming HBO film "Game Change," the Oscar-nominated actress joins a great tradition of big name actors playing politicians in movies. Given Moore's own recent over-the-top approximation of a Boston accent on "30 Rock," her take on Palin's accent should be extraordinary. We'll see how she stacks up with our favorites. Here's a rundown of some of the more memorable performances in recent cinematic history:
--Josh Brolin in "W": Who can forget Brolin's memorable portrayal of George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's "W"? In the 2008 film, which was released in the lead-up to the presidential election that year, Brolin portrays Bush at various stages of his life -- from being a college student at Yale, through his tenure at the White House. Brolin's performance is peppered with mannerisms people have come to associate with Bush, and the film even includes as characters a few of the more notable members of Bush's inner circle at the White House, including Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.
--British actor Michael Sheen has honed his take on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair through three movies, detailing the so-called "Blair trilogy:" First was "The Deal," on the events leading to Blair being named prime minister; "The Queen" came next, and examined Blair's evolving relationship with Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of Princess Diana's death; and finally "The Special Relationship," exploring Blair's relationship with Bill Clinton and then Bush. A Telegraph article claimed that by the third movie, Sheen as Blair was "so instinctive and understated he makes the real thing look like a caricature."
--"Primary Colors" boasted spot-on performances by John Travolta as a Bill Clinton-type and Emma Thompson as the Hillary Clinton character. The movie follows the Stantons, a.k.a the Clintons, through their successful 1992 presidential campaign. Travolta nailed Bill Clinton's mannerisms and Thompson's hair was a dead ringer for an early Hillary Clinton style.
--Sean Penn won an Oscar for his moving performance in "Milk." Penn portrays the gay rights activist and San Francisco board of supervisors member Harvey Milk, assassinated in San Francisco in 1978. The role marked an interesting departure for Penn, who had generally stuck with "tough guy" characters.
--Katie Holmes plays Jackie Onassis Kennedy in the miniseries "The Kennedys," which was supposed to air on the History Channel but did not, reportedly due to pressure from the Kennedys. Instead, it will now debut on April 3 on ReelzChannel, a 4-year old independent cable channel. While the entire 8-part miniseries isn't yet available for viewing, the accents in the movie have already been criticized. A New York Magazine post said Holmes' Boston accent "comes in and out like cell-phone service in a horror film."
--In 1999's "Dick," a humorous alternate tale of the Watergate scandal that ended Richard Nixon's presidency, Dan Hedaya portrays the former president. The "what if it happened this way" tale of two unaware teenage girls finding themselves at the center of the scandal is even more hilarious given Hedaya's caricature-like portrayal of the former president.
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