THE CONTENDER (2000)   [Get the Poster]  Joan Allen Gary Oldman
Jeff Bridges Sam Elliott Christian Slater William L. Petersen
Philip Baker Hall Saul Rubinek Mike Binder Mariel Hemingway  Rod
Lurie    Time: 126 mins. Rating: R Genre: Political Drama
Academy Award nominations for Best Actress (Allen) and Best
Supporting Actor (Bridges).  I have to say that I'm generally
not interested in politics – in the real world or onscreen. Even
though I know "The West Wing" is probably a great show – its
writer/producer Aaron Sorkin is brilliant – I just can't seem to
get motivated to watch. That being said, the main reason I went
to see THE CONTENDER is because it was a free screening. I was
intrigued by the cast, who are all extremely talented and do
good work here, but that still would not have been enough to get
my butt in the theater. In the end, THE CONTENDER is an
intelligent and interesting look at the internal workings of the
political arena. It held my attention, which is saying a lot.
Unfortunately, it tells a