The Contender (2000) on Netflix
After the vice president dies, President Jackson Evans nominates Senator Laine Hanson to the office. Congressman Sheldon Runyon questions her fitness and digs into her college past.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.9/1026,202 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes76%
Trailer
Plot summary
Vice President Troy Ellard dies suddenly, and President Jackson Evans must name a replacement. The popular choice is Virginia Governor Jack Hathaway, praised for diving into a lake to try to save a drowning woman. Evans instead picks Ohio Senator Laine Hanson, hoping to break the glass ceiling with the first woman in the office. Confirmation needs approval from both houses of Congress, and Illinois Congressman Sheldon Runyon, who chairs the committee, considers her unqualified and favors Hathaway. His background check finds a photograph that appears to show Hanson in a drunken sorority initiation. Democratic Representative Reginald Webster joins the opposition. As hearings open in Washington, Runyon raises the photograph, and Hanson refuses to confirm or deny it, steering the discussion toward policy instead.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Contender (2000)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Gary Oldman and his co-producer, Urbanski, reportedly accused the DreamWorks studio and director Rod Lurie of editing the original film to make it more Democrat-biased, mainly by making the Runyon character less sympathetic than was originally intended.
- Spielberg's DreamWorks paid $9 million to acquire the film's domestic distribution rights, and Lurie and Allen said it was the first time DreamWorks had acquired a film the company had not produced.
- Lurie said nearly 30 minutes of footage was deleted because it did not reflect the intended themes of principles and leadership, and after test screenings responded poorly to the final scene, he added inspirational music on Spielberg's advice, which drew a better response.
- Before a scene in which Laine is announced as vice presidential nominee, a typhoon was forecast, and Lurie's assistant from India performed a religious ritual to ward it off, which the director credited with working.
- Before approaching Jeff Bridges for the part of President Evans, Lurie submitted the screenplay to Paul Newman, reflecting how the character was envisioned to be older than in the final film; Newman turned it down, which Lurie attributed to the actor's retirement.
SPOILER
In writing the screenplay, Lurie considered a number of possible endings, including one in which Laine is assassinated, but he wanted to give a message of hope to his daughter and audiences.- After viewing The Contender, actor Dustin Hoffman placed a telephone call to Gary Oldman to commend his work in the film.
