8. Jack Stanton - Primary Colors
Here's one portrayal that could have gone so, so wrong, in that it is, with its doughy, fun-loving, protagonist, clearly a loose portrayal of Bill Clinton in the lead up to his election as President. John Travolta gives one of his best performance as the flawed, but inherently likeable Jack Stanton, who like Clinton, also has a ruthlessly intelligent wife (played by Emma Thompson) which causes him a series of personal embarrassments. Still, the appeal here is that, like Clinton, he weathered his personal misgivings and still came out of the muck smelling of roses, for two precise reasons; charm and humility. Unlike most Presidents, Clinton/Stanton is a guy you could probably go to the pub with, knock back a few pints and have a good time talking about something other than politics, perhaps sports or jazz. Can you envision yourself doing the same with the likes of John Kerry or Mitt Romney in recent times?