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Best Political Comedy Movies to Keep Your Mind Off Politics

With our government now in a state of comical chaos, it's almost like watching the best political comedy movies in hyperrealism.

By Donald GrayPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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Political satires are some the most poignant and blunt of all artistic endeavors that which seem to make fun of the natural order. Without political comedies, like the beloved Saturday Night Live skits and MAD Magazine spoofs, how could we truly express ourselves in the light of our own democracy? As such, we can look to some of our most talented individuals for their satirical insights and comedic slapsticks pertaining to the governance of our own country.

Not all of the best political comedy movies are as moving or as thought provoking as most, but they are intended to challenge the worldview into both seeing and experiencing life in our shoes. While foreigners may often complain about how our country operates, it's safe to say that we can all come together and accept that.

In delivering one of his most profound performances and offering up one of the most interesting fictitious speeches ever put on film, Charlie Chapman stared, directed, scored, produced, and even wrote The Great Dictator. It revolves around the adult life of a Jewish barber, who had saved a crashed pilot in 1918 and received amnesia in the process. After 20 years passed, the barber returns home to find it under the control of the very same pilot he helped save.

The Great Dictator speech, which literally makes the movie tens times more special, is not only spellbinding but a riveting look into the war-rattled world during early 20th century politics. Chapman's satirical expression of the Hitler regime, Mussolini, and Nazism has become one of the best political comedy movies, and has various awards to prove it.

Broken, distraught, left with nothing but his political namesake as senator, and a final plan to end it all, Jay Bulworth finds himself down on his luck. His only alternative to facing his demons is to hire a hitman with the target being himself. His scathing plan, however, is sent into haywire after he meets a lovely young woman.

Bulworth is up there among the best political comedy movies, one because it's unlike any other and really shows you the downtrodden sides of political lives left to waste by poor decisions. Second, this movie is also spellbinding thanks to Warren Beaty's performance as senator, in addition to Halle Berry's role as Nina.

You really can’t go wrong when you put Will Ferrell in a comedy movie, and when you set him up against Zach Galifianakis, you’re in for rolling on the floor laughter. In The Campaign, these two comedians duke it out for victory over the White House and, as is expected, some of the most hilarious one liners are spewed.

Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a lackluster incumbent congressman who’s political ambitious behavior leads a fear of his rivals to push for another candidate, which turns out to be Galifan’s Marty Huggins. Hilariously blunt and poignant, The Campaign is undoubtedly among the best political comedy movies by way of its exceptional casting and performances.

Robert Redford stars in The Candidate, the story of a left leaning lawyer who gets thrust into a political battle that sees him gaining the public more so than his rivals. It's an interesting political satire on the nature of campaigning, one that's sure to make you look at politics in a whole new way.

While it may be a comedy at its heart, The Candidate is an unlikely observation of how an everyday citizen can become misunderstood and eventually lost in the ranging tides of political banter. This, alone, makes it one of the best political comedy movies, but it's also a riot you just don't want to miss, especially if you hate the Trump administration.

Martin Sheen is most well known for his performance as US President in Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing, but he actually starred as Chief of Staff under Andrew Shepherd, played by Michael Douglas, in The American President.

While it may be one of the best political comedy movies, it's also a tear jerker. Douglas' President Shepherd is a widowed leader at the end of his first term. In the knowledge that his reelection is foolproof, given his wide berth of public support, Shepherd didn't quite plan on falling in love with Ellen Wade, played by Annette Benign, a lobbyist whose shared affections could very well cost him his seat at the Oval Office.

Among must see movies about politics, and incidentally one of the best political comedy movies, Wag the Dog brings to life spin doctor Conrad Brean, played by Robert De Niro, and Hollywood producer Stanley Motss, Dustin Hoffman, for an exceptional political satire.

The story takes place a few weeks before reelection. Highly reminiscent of the real life Bill Clinton, the sitting US president is slammed with a sex scandal, for which Brean is employed to rectify in order to save the president's reelection campaign. Brean, utilizing his best politics, creates a fictitious war in Albania with the help of Motss, then draws the media attention away from the scandal, but have they truly forgotten?

Despite never being released in theaters, The Interview still wrought some major buzz upon its initial release back in 2014. It's a raunchy comedic look into the possibility of an interview with one of the most vilified political characters, Kim Jong Un.

From being wirelessly hacked, to being directly threatened, staff on TheInterview experienced some major diplomatic backlash when Kim Jong Un himself explicitly denounced the film and even planned to attack American movie theaters if released. That’s why one of the best political comedy movies had to be streamlined straight to DVD, which was an unfortunate setback, but obviously foretelling of its hilarity.

In this 1999 political comedy, Reese Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick, an ambitious high school student who runs for school president by way of using some unethical methods. After teacher Matthew Broderick begins to see her ways and presents a new, more influential candidate, Flick takes matters seriously.

This brilliant adaption of Tom Perrotta's classic novel may not have all of the same qualities and considerations as the other satires on this list, it's still one of the best political comedy movies for underlining these very same tropes in the characters at the school. It's almost like watching a high school version of our modern day political atmosphere, which is hilarious in of itself.

Hilariously gripping and even more crazy in its overall scheme, Dr. Strangelove is a story about one ruthless leader's quest to find redemption, closure, and self-identification in a world that has seemingly turned to an end. Stanley Kubrick's directorial masterpiece is only made the better with performances by James Earl Jones and Peter Sellers, all of whom make for the best political comedy movies.

Strangelove tells the story of Jack Ripper, a US Air Force General who suddenly loses his mind. In believing the USSR and Soviets are planning to pollute the American people, he dispatches his bomber wing to end them once and for all.

Based on Christopher Buckley's novel of the same name, Thank You for Smoking is a political satire about big tobacco lobbyists and the power of fatherhood. Rather than looking at politics in general the comedy, which stars Aaron Eckhart as Nick Taylor, showcases fatherhood in the face of political interests.

One of the best political comedy movies, Thank You for Smoking is a heartwarming tale about one father's self-identifying measurement and the road he takes to amend his past mistakes. Along that road, you're sure to be laughing your heart out.

In Dave, one of those actors who went into politics actually plays himself in the movie: ArnoldSchwarzenegger. Written by Gary Ross, the story is a satirical look at a factious White House coverup involving the US president on his sickbed and an imposter posing for his camera shoots.

Feel good and expertly themed, Dave sets out to look at the presidency in an uncharacteristic way, by showcasing the staff of the presidency more so than the president himself, which makes it one of the best political comedy movies for its devotion to realism in the face of comedy.

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About the Creator

Donald Gray

Politics may be a disgusting battlefield, but it is a necessary vice in our country, and a particular fancy of mine, like productivity and success. These are important facets in the modern world, and must be expounded upon.

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