His bitter wife even visits Laine to blab too many family secrets that could wound Runyon's campaign against her. But then Laine, because she's so fairminded, refuses to use these secrets as ammunition to save herself. You may wish The Contender were more about President Evans and his dilemma in discovering that his vice presidential candidate may not be the icy moralist she seems to be. I don't know. Conveniently, from the script's standpoint, no reporter tries to dig for the facts, something that's especially curious because writer-director Lurie was once a reporter.
Bridges is a breath of fresh air, however, the most realistic and human character in the film.
He believes that the best thing about being president is being able to phone the White House kitchen day or night and order anything he craves. It's the movie's running gag and Bridges makes merry with it. Also good is Christian Slater's Democratic Congressman Webster, the soul of a man willing to make his name by working with the Republican Runyon to destroy Laine. He's tentative at first, a conniver who slowly comes to see the consequences of his actions and to have second thoughts. Slater makes him a man with feet of clay who is tempted by power.