And now for something a might more serious minded, we have Rod Lurie's compelling drama in which Jeff Bridges plays beleaguered second-term President Jackson Evans, who has to make a crucial decision that could make or break his Presidency. He is faced with choosing a new Vice President, either Governor Hathaway (William Petersen), a man of high character who is regarded by many as a hero, or Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), a shrewed, skilled politician whose past returns to haunt her at the hands of snide congressman Shelley Runyon (Gary Oldman). While the film does not belong to Bridges' Evans, for he is in fact an ancillary character while Allen's Hanson moves to the forefront, he is a pitch-perfect portrayal of a President who has an affable demeanour, but is unafraid to be stern and make tough calls when the situation requires it. As a result, it's no surprise that Barack Obama declared him to be his favourite fictional President.