I type this with around six weeks to go before the 2008 US Presidential election. The race to the White House has certainly been eventful, even for someone like me who can't actually vote in it. We've had different candidates from both sides, a fair amount of dirty politics, novel campaign pledges, as well as all the traditional rigmarole. It has also been a very long campaign; or perhaps a campaign that has attracted media attention from the beginning like very few before it. In many ways election day might come as a relief, so long and intense the campaign has been at times. But I also feel that the outcome of the election is going to make an impression on the world of film.

Hollywood in particular has never shied away from being politically active. Whenever an election rolls around, actors and directors in particular will tend to find information about their political leanings attracting just as much attention as their creative output. And celebrity endorsements are attractive to candidates for a number of reasons. Not only do celebrities tend to have a lot of money to donate, popular and glamorous stars can add a bit of sparkle and excitement to even the dullest of campaigns. And of course, celebrities certainly won't snort at the possibility of getting in the good books of hugely important political figures. Being able to call the President to talk about your latest charitable interest certainly isn't a bad thing from their point of view.

The film industry also isn't averse to putting its politics in its films. From Good Night, and Good Luck to Oliver Stone's upcoming W., Hollywood politics is present in plenty of films these days. It's also no secret that Hollywood is decidedly liberal in its political leanings. George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Speilberg, Will Smith and Robert De Niro are just a few of the famous names supporting Barack Obama this time around. With big stars like this backing a particular candidate, it's no small wonder that politics becomes part of their films. Clooney is perhaps most active in this respect, and is very vocal on political issues in general, alongside his socially conscious movie-making. There are some famous McCain supporters; Sylvester Stallone, Tom Selleck, Kelsey Grammer and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few. But these are names that don't have quite the same clout as those supporting the Democratic candidate.

There's nothing particularly wrong with all this political activism by actors, or even with the fact that it can end up in their films. Sure, some die-hards will never stop complaining about 'liberal conspiracies' emanating from Hollywood, and all that sort of silliness. But by and large people tend to either agree with the politics in the films Hollywood produces, or simply take it with a pinch of salt without kicking up much of a fuss. But I also think there's another way of looking at it; one that'll probably annoy people on both sides of the American political divide. And that is that, while there's nothing overly annoying about Hollywood politics getting into films, I have to say that it's rather boring that it's all the same politics.

Try to recall the last major film which contained even a whiff of right-wing political leanings. A David Zucker film called An American Carol has just been released in the States, but this didn't exactly set the box office on fire. The most recent film I can probably think of is Team America: World Police which, though generally fairly well balanced, was probably more effective in its criticisms of the liberal left than in those it made of the right. And this is my problem. I'm all for political opinions popping up in films. Heck, it often makes them more interesting. But because Hollywood has something close to a consensus of political opinion, it makes the ways in which politics influences films far duller and more predictable than I would like.

So how does this election fit into the grand scheme of things, and into my special little viewpoint? Well, Republicans might find it frustratingly ironic, but just about the only way their party is going to find itself saved from some of Hollywood's attacks is if Obama moves into the White House in January next year. With a Democrat as the 44th President, I fully expect that Hollywood's political activism would be toned down a little. I'm not saying it would go away entirely, but it would have to soften if they get their man in charge. On the other hand, if McCain wins, I'd expect Hollywood to go to war. There will be five negative Sarah Palin biopics in production - probably all with the word 'Moose' in the title - before McCain is even inaugurated. So whether Hollywood gets the President it wants or not - and the polls are leaning in Obama's favour at the moment - I think most people of just about every political persuasion would relish a bit more variety in cinematic politics. It will be interesting to see what happens.

© David Mercier
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