Is The Candidate, in fact, the anti-West Wing? A political story that ends not with a bang, but with a question of existential dread.

• Interview with screenwriter Jeremy Larner in Brooklyn Magazine
• The trailer for Downhill Racer (1969)
• Jerry Seinfeld on Letterman: "You're rooting for clothes."

Let us know what you thought of the film!

Did this movie predict Trump back in 1957? We discuss the film debut of Andy Griffith in a role so dark, anyone who knows the Andy Griffith show might experience some uncomfortable dissonance.

Some goodies that came up in our conversation:

• The dance of joy from "Perfect Strangers"
• This essay about the film on the Criterion website
• Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in a great scene from Broadcast News
• The 'ten-word-answer' scene from The West Wing

What did you think of the film, on a scale of 1–10 grains of inert matter? Let us know!

This week, we dive deeper into the role of the fourth estate, as we discuss Network, the Oscar-winning film that was meant to be a wild satire at the time it was released, but ended up uncannily predicting the future.

Some additional reading material:

Mad As Hell, Dave Itzkoff's book about Network

Directors' Guild of America post about Sidney Lumet at a 2003 screening of Network

Vanity Fair article on the legacy of Network (which includes thoughts from Aaron Sorkin)

This week, we're discussing the 1998 film Bulworth, which features a rapping Warren Beatty, a young Josh Malina, a few problematic moments, and some wonderful and strange ones, too.

For a real treat, watch the music video for Ghetto Supastar, which also features a young Josh Malina!

What did you think of Bulworth? Join the conversation over on our Patreon and let us know on a scale of 1–10 forced calls!

What's more terrifying in Martin Sheen's depiction of J. Edgar Hoover—the racism, or the makeup?! We discuss ALL the important aspects of this cat-and-mouse thriller, which was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Kaluuya.

For additional viewing:

• The Lucas Brothers
• William O'Neal's full interview for Eyes on the Prize II

Hoover and Sheen-as-Hoover, side by side:

What did you think of Judas and the Black Messiah? Let us know on a scale of 1–10 simultaneously played saxophones over on our Patreon page, patreon.com/thewestwingweekly.

This week, we're discussing the hilarious — and terrifying—Dr Strangelove.

A few goodies:

• An interview with title designer Pablo Ferro
• "Are We the Baddies?" from That Mitchell and Webb Look

George C Scott side-by-side with Tim Robinson (from I Think You Should Leave)

Let us know what you thought of the film, on a scale of 1–10 precious bodily fluids! Join the conversation on our Patreon at patreon.com/thewestingwingweekly.

This week, we're discussing the razor-sharp dialogue and side-splitting comedy of In the Loop (2009), one the greatest political satires. Here are footnotes for some of the stuff outside of the film that came up in the conversation:

• A tiny clip from the unaired pilot of "Legally Mad"
• The stateroom scene from the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera"
• The Roy Kent chant

Join us on Patreon to let us know what you thought of the film, on a scale of 1–10 Lemons Difficult. 

It's the first installment of the Political Film Fest, and we've got: Martin Sheen in the oval office! "What is the virtue of a proportional response?" The GDC! There are so many familiar elements in The American President, and yet, the film feels dramatically different from The West Wing (and at times, comedically different). It's our first episode, and we're going to talk about what we loved, what we didn't, and everything in between. Let's dive in! We’ve gotta start early because we're having lunch at the Kremlin.

Some goodies:

• Here's the trailer for the film.
• Check out this great poster from Italy for Il Presidente.

What did you think of The American President? Let us know how you would rate it on a scale of 1–10 Virginia hams. Sorry: Virginias ham. 

To join in the discussion, listen to ad-free versions of TWWWPFF, and get additional benefits, subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/thewestwingweekly.

After four years away, we're bringing back The West Wing Weekly in a new form. As this election season heats up, we're taking a weekly respite from the stress of reality, and turning towards political cinema instead. We're watching and discussing some of our favorite films. It's the same mix of analysis and nonsense that you’ve come to expect from The West Wing Weekly, but applied to a different movie each week. We're starting our journey in the familiar territory of Aaron Sorkin dialogue, with The American President.

We're launching this podcast on our Patreon page, for paid subscribers. Go to patreon.com/thewestwingweekly to subscribe and join us. There are different tiers to choose from, starting at $5/month. Every paid tier has access to the podcast, with additional benefits and ways to connect with us and other TWWWPFF listeners at higher tiers. Okay, what's next? We're back! Let's go! 

patreon.com/thewestwingweekly

On Saturday, August 10, we celebrated the publication of the new book "What's Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service" by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack. Josh and Hrishi moderated a discussion with them, along with special guests Aaron Sorkin, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, and Richard Schiff. The event took place in front of a sold out audience at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. 

Buy "What's Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service" here. To see some photos of the event, visit thewestwingweekly.com/021.

And subscribe to our new series, The West Wing Weekly Political Film Fest, at patreon.com/thewestwingweekly!

We’re back! The West Wing cast reunited for this special episode, so we got back together to discuss it. And Aaron Sorkin joins us to talk about his experiences adapting "Hartsfield’s Landing" for this voter turnout initiative. Please go to whenweallvote.org to donate! 

For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/020