Dave (1993)

When the President of the U.S. (Kevin Kline) has a massive stroke during a sexual encounter with his mistress (Laura Linney), the Chief of Staff (Frank Langella) arranges for a lookalike (Kevin Kline) to take his place and continue to implement his policies. But things don't quite turn out that way. Directed by Ivan Reitman (GHOSTBUSTERS), this is a lovely fantasy about the "little man" who finds himself placed in extraordinary circumstances by cynical and manipulative forces and turns against them. It's a very Capraesque scenario, think MEET JOHN DOE,  but although I'm no fan of Capra, I liked DAVE. Yes, it's an incredibly far fetched and unlikely story line but it taps into a caprice all Americans have about actually having a voice in a corrupt government. I do wish the film makers hadn't made Kline's Dave so simple minded. I'm not a fan of the "childlike fools have better insight" school of film making. But that's nitpicking. This is a real charmer of a movie and would make a great double bill with THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. The large cast includes Sigourney Weaver as the first lady, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ving Rhames, Faith Prince, Kevin Dunn, Bonnie Hunt, Sarah Marshall and Anna Deavere Smith.