Ever since Rob Reiner’s shocking death in December 2025, I’ve been working my way through the late filmmaker’s incredible body of work. This experience recently led me to The American President, a riveting political drama that also happens to be one of the best romantic comedies ever made. I haven’t watched this movie, which inspired the film’s writer, Aaron Sorkin, to create The West Wing, in years, and so it’s safe to say that there was a lot that I didn’t remember.
That said, there’s one aspect of this movie starring Michael Douglas as the commander-in-chief and Annette Bening as a savvy political strategist that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since the credits rolled. It wasn’t the inclusion of Sorkin’s famous “walk and talk,” nor was it the sheer unlikability of Richard Dreyfuss’ character and his desire to be president. Instead, it’s the glaring omission of one of the most important roles in the government.
For Some Reason, There’s No Vice President In The Movie
There are a lot of movies about the President of the United States, and you know what most have in common? More often than not, the Vice President, the first name in the presidential line of succession, plays some kind of role in the story as it unfolds. Awesome ‘90s action flicks like Air Force One have a VP, as do wholesome comedies like Dave. But not The American President. Nope, the Prez’s running mate is nowhere to be seen.
It’s not like the VP is out of the country on some tour of Asia or Europe trying to broker deals with allies on a global scale. It’s not like they’re doing some behind-the-scenes work at the White House or in a coma. They’re just not there. Not mentioned, not referenced, this unknown and unheard of person simply doesn’t exist.
I attempted to get to the bottom of this mystery, but searching on the internet led to nothing but page after page of history lessons on famous Vice Presidents. My copy of The American President, which shares a disc with Dave (this has to be the best combo pack ever), doesn’t include commentary, so there was no luck there either. Still, though, I can’t stop thinking about this strange omission.
I Totally Misremembered This Aspect, Which Has Me Questioning My Memory
Though I have watched The American President several times over the years since my parents first ordered it on pay-per-view sometime in 1996, it’s been a very long time since I’ve watched Michael Douglas steal the show with his portrayal of President Shepherd. I totally misremembered this whole issue with the nonexistent Vice President. Instead, I always thought that Martin Sheen’s A.J. MacInerney was Shepherd’s second-in-command and Michael J. Fox’s Lewis Rothschild was the White House Chief of Staff.
I guess it was my brain playing tricks on me, since Sheen would go on to play President Bartlet on The West Wing and Fox portrayed NYC Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty on Spin City a few years later. Regardless, this whole misremembering the characters thing has me questioning my memory about all types of movies, shows, and other moments from my life. Maybe I should reevaluate those.
There was a lot I misremembered about The American President, but this movie still rocks 30 years later. If you haven’t watched it in years (or ever before), don’t worry, as you won’t have to track down a DVD combo pack to check it out. All you need is an HBO Max subscription, where it is currently streaming.
