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The Top Five Election Movies -- Our Vote Is In

This has been a grueling election season, with the television full of depressing news reports and endless political ads. The best way to avoid them? Program a movie, one that might give you a more honest look at elections, where you can augh at the irony, cringe at the realities...
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This has been a grueling election season, with the television full of depressing news reports and endless political ads. The best way to avoid them? Program a movie, one that might give you a more honest look at elections, where you can augh at the irony, cringe at the realities and not worry about who'll be victorious on Wednesday morning. Here's our vote for the top five election movies.

See also: Election Activists Have Some Primary Problems with Colorado's System

5)The War Room (1993) The War Room offers a thrilling, backstage look at the 1992 presidential election. Follow the team that put Bill Clinton in the White House through triumphs, tragedies and ultimately a campaign win. It's almost like a buddy-cop movie starring communications director George Stephanopoulos and lead strategist James "Ragin' Cajun" Carville; his truly incredible pep talks will get you riled up enough to campaign door to door yourself. You can never get enough of Carville's Southern accent or Hillary Clinton's headbands.

4) Wag the Dog (1997) All those conspiracy theorists who believe the government is a sham won't want to miss Wag the Dog. A political spin doctor hires a famous Hollywood director to create a fake war in hopes of distracting the country from a sex scandal before the election. The amazing cast includes Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, William H. Macy and little Kirsten Dunst. And with irony you just can't write, the film was released one month before the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit newsstands.

Keep reading for three more election movies. 3) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) This year is the 75th anniversary of the Oscar-winning Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Legendary director Frank Capra created he classic film that applauds the whistleblower and teaches us to fight for lost causes. Jimmy Stewart gives a brilliant performance as Jefferson Smith, who tries to uphold those good, old-fashioned American values while fighting a corrupt governor. Decades later, this message is still relevant, showing how well-intentioned people are chewed up and spit out in Washington, D.C.

2) Street Fight (2005) Reality can be more thought-provoking than fiction. Street Fight introduces us to two compelling characters who couldn't be written better. We have the shining knight, Cory Booker, who was attempting to dethrone the reigning mayor of Newark, Sharpe James, who had held office for 32 years. Street Fight gives us a look at a real campaign filled with corruption, dirty tactics and race politics; James and his posse will stop at nothing to keep his position, including ripping down signs, blackmailing businesses and even breaking the documentarian's camera in broad daylight.

1) Election (1999) High school elections can be just as brutal as the adult version, and there's no one more ruthless than the unstoppable Tracy Flick. Election is a black comedy that follows a high school teacher as his life falls apart when he tries to oversee -- and tamper with -- the student council election. The movie has a wonderful performance by Matthew Broderick, who goes head to head with Reese Witherspoon in her breakout role. Pop in Election and reminisce about the time when your hardest political choice was between the captain of the football team or the president of the chess club.

Follow Amanda Moutinho on Twitter at @amandamoutinho.


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