7. James Dale - Mars Attacks!
Don't get us wrong, we would not want to have Jack Nicholson's James Dale about during a real crisis, but he does bring a little bit of simple, childish humility to the figurehead, even if he is, like Tug Benson, an absolute fool at the end of the day. Once the Martians begin invading in Tim Burton's giddy B-movie throwback, Dale hasn't got a freaking clue what to do, and continues to adhere to the mantra that we can all get along in peace, a line of thought that doesn't shift even once the aliens reduce Congress to dust and make a move for his own homestead. That he wishes everyone could just co-exist is a nice, if sickeningly naive notion, and perhaps not one that is really workable in our current climate, but it's a nice idea all the same. And on a more superficial level, how many Presidents have made us laugh anywhere near as much as this fictional one?
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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