Everyone who has seen West Wing knows that Martin Sheen is just such a lion, and Douglas always makes people feel that he is not so commensurate with the role of the president.
It may be the director's deliberate, knowingly indispensable arrangement that allowed the two types of actors to make a breakthrough in the character of the characters.
President Widower married a wife. Compared with another presidential movie of the same period, Dave, it feels more like a warm and romantic love movie. This may be why the director chose Douglas as the male number one.
There is such a comment on the New York Times website, which I personally think is very pertinent:
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However easy this film makes it look to be Commander in Chief, "The American President" makes it clear that keeping the fizz in happily escapist comedy is tricky. Despite the presence of Frank Capra 3d as first assistant director and a nod to his grandfather in the dialogue (Sydney, first visiting the White House on business: "I'm trying to savor the Capraesque quality"), this film can't match the blitheness that was possible in more innocent times.
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Fine movie though.
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