The American President (1995) review

Life is quite hectic for POTUS Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), a widower who has to raise his daughter Lucy (Shawna Waldron) alone: he's up for re-election and facing competition from Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), he has difficulty passing his crime bill, there's armed conflict around the world that he needs to monitor ... and then he decides he wants to romance environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), which causes a frenzy with the press and his own team.  Political junkie Aaron Sorkin penned the script and there's plenty of smart banter, but it's also sterile (Shepherd's flawless and wholesome) and prone to soap-box moments where characters preach about the "American Way" of truth, liberty and all that jazz (appropriately, the hit TV show The West Wing would follow a little a few years later).  While it might seem like a throwaway reference, the mention of Frank Capra's films early on is an indicator of what it's aiming for: a sticky sweet rom-com that primarily functions as a crowd pleaser.