My Fellow Americans

Plot synopsis:
Republican Senator Russell Kramer of Ohio (Jack Lemmon) wins the Presidential election, narrowly defeating archrival Democratic Governor Matt Douglas of Indiana (James Garner). Four years later, Douglas wins a landslide victory over the now-incumbent Kramer. Another four years later, Kramer's former Vice President, William Haney (Dan Aykroyd), defeats Douglas. His Vice President, Ted Matthews (John Heard), is widely seen as an idiot, and becomes a continuing embarrassment for the administration. A further three years later, Kramer is spending his time writing books and speaking at various inconsequential functions, while Douglas is finishing his own book and going through a divorce.
Meanwhile, the Democratic party learns about "Olympia", codename for a series of bribes from defense contractor Charlie Reynolds (James Rebhorn) paid to Haney when he was Vice President. The Democratic National Committee chairman Joe Hollis (Wilford Brimley) asks Douglas to investigate. Hollis offers the support of the Democratic Party for a Presidential run in return for his help. Douglas accepts, hoping to beat Haney and get back into the Oval Office. Meanwhile, Haney and his Chief of Staff Carl Witnaur (Bradley Whitford) plot to frame Kramer for the scandal. When rumors begin to suggest that Kramer was involved in Olympia, he begins his own investigation.
NSA agent Colonel Paul Tanner (Everett McGill) has Reynolds assassinated when he attempts to tell Douglas the truth about Olympia. Kramer arrives at the scene to find Douglas with Reynolds' body. Before they can flee, Douglas and Kramer are forced to board a helicopter by White House officials, claiming to be taking them to Camp David at the request of Haney. During the flight Douglas realizes that they are heading in the wrong direction. Suspicious, they force the pilot to land. They disembark just before the helicopter explodes.
Kramer and Douglas are left stranded, with the realization that the explosion was meant to kill them. They decide to go to Kramer's Presidential Library in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio to obtain records the overly-frugal Kramer kept of all meals served during his time in the White House, which will prove Haney was present at a key meeting with Reynolds. During a series of misadventures, they meet a variety of ordinary Americans and see the effects their terms in office have had. After several close encounters with NSA agents, they arrive at the library and discover the evidence has been tampered with to implicate Kramer. A guard gives Kramer a message from Reynolds' secretary stating that Witnaur had recently met with Reynolds. Douglas and Kramer kidnap Witnaur and with Joe Hollis's help, force him to reveal the plot to frame Kramer, though Witnaur claims to have no knowledge of the attempts on their lives, blaming Tanner and Haney. They at first decide to report Witnaur's confession to Kay, but Douglas, based upon their adventures, convinces Kramer go to the White House to confront Haney, seeing it as a chance of redemption for their poor choices as Presidents.
They manage to sneak into the White House with the help of the White House Executive Chef Rita (Esther Rolle) and make it to the Oval Office only to discover that Haney is giving a press conference outside. Tanner traps Douglas and Kramer in a guest room but they utilize a secret tunnel to escape while the NSA gives chase. Tanner catches up with them and is about to shoot them when he himself is killed by Secret Service Sniper Lieutenant Ralph Fleming (Jeff Yagher), who has recognized the presidents from a chance encounter at a gay pride parade during their adventure, and disobeys orders to shoot them.
Douglas and Kramer interrupt Haney's speech and take him to the Oval Office to talk. There they play Haney a tape of Witnaur's confession, but Haney denies knowledge of Reynolds' murder or the helicopter explosion. Haney agrees to resign and proceeds to give a resignation speech, claiming to have heart problems. Douglas and Kramer muse that the idiotic Matthews will now be elevated from Vice President to President and realize that the only way it could have happened was under these circumstances. The pair confront Matthews who admits that he, not Haney, had engineered the entire plot so that he could become President, knowing Haney would take the fall. Matthews explains that his stupidity was just an act, but Douglas secretly records his confession on tape. Matthews is sent to jail.
Nine months later, Douglas and Kramer are running together as independents in the Presidential election, arguing which of them will be the nominee for president. Douglas distracts Kramer by throwing a dollar on the floor, and takes to the podium to announce himself as the Presidential candidate, much to the chagrin of Kramer.

Tags: satire, murder

Review:
Jack Lemmon is a great comedy actor and so is James Garner.
The casting is good also the supporting roles from Jon Heard, Dan Aykroyd, Wilford Brimley and Lauren Baccal.All in all it is a very entertaining film, witch I recommend to anyone who is seeking for an evening of letting all tensions gliding of you and having many good laughs.On a scale 1-10, I give it an 8..
Although one likes watching the chemistry of Matthau and Lemmon in their comedies, the substitution of Garner is probably for the best.
The best of these was THE American PRESIDENT, wherein Michael Douglas tries to balance his job's duties, with his performance ratings, and his falling in love with a woman whose political agenda can be used to bash him (Annette Benning).
MY FELLOW Americans fits in with this pair of films in continuing the trend.Lemmon wins his term as President by defeating his Democratic rival Garner.
But Lemmon is tipped off about the scandal by news reporter Sela Ward (seeking an exclusive), and Garner learns of it from Democratic Party head Wilfrid Brimley (and encouraged to check into it with the possibility of being renominated for the Presidency again).
Garner finally shows how fed up he is, towards the end, when he tells Lemmon that he is sick of thinking of how little he really accomplished in the four years he was President, and how he wants to demolish Ackroyd's corrupt administration because it is what the starry eyed believers of Democracy expect their Presidents to do.The cast was quite in the film, but one wishes Lauren Bacall had had more scenes with Lemmon (her husband in the movie), and that Esther Rolle had been in a few more scenes as the White House cook.
You gotta love it."My Fellow Americans" features Jack Lemmon and James Garner as ex-presidents on the run when they discover a cover-up with the present Chief of Staff (Dan Aykroyd) in the middle.This isn't a movie anyone's going to take seriously, and well they shouldn't.
Beats me why he isn't in more movies.As I said, the laughs are there, and if you demand nothing more from a comedy than to laugh, you'll want to do your political duty and rent "My Fellow Americans" - the one movie that insults both parties equally.Seven stars, plus one extra for putting up an excellent "fakade"..
Jack Lemmon and James Garner are in top comedic form in My Fellow Americans.
So the two people, who loathe each other, must work together to tell thier fellow Americans while seeing the effect of their presidency on the general people.There are too many political movies.
Its raunch mixed in with tries-to-take-it-serious humor: "Now, if you'll excuse me, my salad's getting cold." I can't really think of anything else to say.My Fellow Americans is very funny with great leads.
Those two old pros, Jack Lemmon and James Garner, in their only film together provide quite a few laughs in what would normally be a very serious subject, a constitutional crisis.Two former presidents, Lemmon a Republican and Garner a Democrat, have a real nasty rivalry going.
But when current president Dan Ackroyd tries to pin a kickback in a defense contract scandal on his fellow Republican Lemmon things get good and nasty.
Lauren Bacall is in this oh too briefly as Lemmon's wife and Dan Ackroyd is the current president with John Heard as his Dan Quayle like Vice President.Republican or Democrat most viewers will vote thumbs up for My Fellow Americans..
We figured with Jack Lemmon and James Garner it couldn't be too bad.We thoroughtly enjoyed the movie and think it is one of the funniest movies around.
I was expecting the film to be horrid as it starred Jack Lemmon (which is great) but had James Garner in place of Walter Matthau.
Just a good clean, fun comedy.The role played by James Garner is very well written and it seems that his role was written with Matthau in mind.
Peter Segal's My Fellow Americans, a kind and genial little film, has coined the term "Grumpy Old Presidents' over time with good reason.
Had Walter Mathau been cast in the role of Democratic Governor Matt Douglas and not James Garner, we would've been calling this "Grumpiest Old Men," as if it were a sequel to the inspired comedies Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau made in the mid-nineties.But I digress.
This is an equally inspired comedy, that knows its tone, knows its audience, and makes good use of its entire cast, especially its lead, Lemmon and Garner, who are unbelievably charismatic together as two bitter political rivals that have proudly clung to this white collar, boyhood way of fighting for decades now.
On a plane to a funeral at Air Force One for a fallen Republican, the two men quibble all throughout the plane-ride and cement the fact to us why they have been bitter rivals for so many long years.When a serious scandal goes on that a man by the name of Charlie Reynolds (James Rebhorn) offered current president Haney kickbacks when he was a vice president, the Democratic Party plots to frame Kramer.
But when Charlies is assassinated and Kramer and Douglas are put on a helicopter allegedly headed for Camp David under the order of Haney, but shipped into the middle of nowhere, the two cantankerous old presidents must learn to get along and attempt to stop the kickback scandal currently at hand in the White House.It's easy to say this film is never boring.
Yet largely because of the way the film injects little humorous quirks that make both Republicans and Democrats tick is the reason for My Fellow Americans' success as a film and as a whole.One could argue the film plays it too safe for a comedy directed at satirizing and lampooning American politics.
Yet in the long run, Republicans shouldn't be too offended at the jabs at their stinginess and Democrats shouldn't be offended at the punches at their free use of money.My Fellow Americans is written efficiently and played nicely by its three writers and directed with a nice loose grip by Peter Segal, who too directed the joyously fun, quick-witted comedy that was Tommy Boy, that emphasized on the snappy worldplay that this project heavily relies on.
Both films work well in the same fields, giving us two likable main characters, two talented screen-performers, an easily-digestible script, competent writing, solid direction, and overall, a cheeriness about a subject that we need and should cherish in current times.
The whole exercise works on its own merits and that could be the reason you like or dislike this film as a whole.Starring: Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Dan Aykroyd, and John Heard.
Hollywood legends Jack Lemmon and James Garner star as former U.S. presidents (Lemmon Republican and Garner Democratic) who unwittingly become involved with political espionage as they become targets of someone within the new administration (Dan Aykroyd, Lemmon's former vice president, is now the commander-in-chief).
Jack Lemmon plays Russell Kramer, a typical republican ex-president, while Garner is a Clinton-esque Democrat (although I don't believe party affiliations are mentioned).There are many funny moments with few jokes that fell flat.
I thought My Fellow Americans was a fantastic and a funny movie to watch.
This movie shows what a funny film is supposed to be like.
I like this movie because of its unique way of making us laugh, their way of making the script and how everything came together to make this movie one of my favorites original films.The selection of the actors was great.
Jack Lemmon play his role really well and so did James Garner.
I completely agree with Roger Ebert when he says "''My Fellow Americans' is a series of cheap shots and missed opportunities, but a lot of the cheap shots are funny" and he describes the movie perfectly when he says "James Garner steps into the role usually played by Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon plays his usual grump, and 102 minutes of insult humor rolls painlessly past".Yes, it is a typical buddy movie and yes, we have seen it all before and yes, the screenplay is rather dumb, but nevertheless the film provides for 90 minutes of very decent entertainment.
And of course I know Jack Lemmon from Grumpy and Grumpier Old Men. I also know James Garner from The Ultimate Gift.
Lemmon and Garner play it strictly for laughs, and hit the target on almost every occasion.The script may not be particularly subtle, and there is a propensity for cheap laughs with mildly foul language (save one utterance of an F word) - but there are some big big belly laughs to be had, not just in the witty script but also some nicely staged slapstick moments.A woeful bit of CGI when our two heroes are supposed to be on horseback is the only black mark against the production values - the pace is slick, the writing witty and inventive, the punchlines come thick and fast - and there's hardly a moment that comes anywhere near giving you 'the red ass'!
"My Fellow Americans" is a great movie simply due to the team of Jack Lemmon and James Garner.
Lemmon and Garner not only carry the movie, you almost think of them as actually being former Presidents of the United States.
It is a movie to just sit back and enjoy, a funny spin on American politics at it's best..
"My Fellow Americans" boasts a well-crafted and quite funny script about two former presidents and longtime political rivals who must team up to expose a criminal scheme in which the sitting chief executive is implicated.
The on screen chemistry and formidable comic timing of Jack Lemmon and James Garner as the former presidents, in their first and only screen pairing, is delightful, and thankfully so: one or both dominate almost every scene in the film.
They receive equally expert support from Lauren Bacall, demonstrating her rarely-exploited talent for comedy; Dan Aykroyd in an uncharacteristically restrained performance; and the always-solidly professional John Heard, as well as an extraordinarily sharp supporting cast studded with many familiar faces -- such as Wilford Brimley ("China Syndrome"), Sela Ward, and Esther Rolle of "Good Times" fame -- though not all are necessarily household names.
Though I might be wrong, I believe it would be harder for someone of presidential office to get away with something like that.Watching the way these two rivals became friends and worked together for a common goal was good.
A movie you can enjoy with ur friends, girlfriend and mom / dad.Comedy is non-stop, one keep laughing and I have to struggle every time to stop and listen so that I won't miss the next joke, and the issues addressed are pretty genuine and real.Story is marvelous, plot is great and locations are superb!
It was better than I expected with some very funny moments and an excellent cast especially Jack Lemmon and James Garner.
Jack Lemmon and James Garner are hilarious in their roles as President Russell Kramer and President Matt Douglas, two ex-presidents on the run from assassins.
Of course James Garner and Jack Lemmon are great actors and are well cast as two ex-presidents.
The script is quick witted and well paced although credibility falters a little along the way.Strangely the film has an excellent supporting cast with the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Lauren Bacall but not much is done with them.
Jack Lemmon and James Garner are perfectly cast as two has been American Presidents and Dan Aykroyd as the president.
While some might have said this got in the way of the comedy, I thought it added to the point of politicians learning about life for the average American, so to speak.10/10 - For laughs, there isn't much that can rival this..
Funny lines follow each other in rapid succession, and James Garner and Jack Lemon are just perfect as the two ex-presidents who detest each other but are forced to work together to survive, and gradually learn to like each other...more-or-less.
A very good supporting cast includes John Heard in a hilarious performance as a Dan Quayle lookalike Vice President, and Wilford Brimley is droll as the Democratic Party Chairman.
I am not much for words, but if you are interested in a good movie with a bit of political comedies.
Jack Lemmon and James Garner (No, Walter Matthau could not make this film because he was filming I'm Not Rappaport at the time) turn in fine performances as two rivaling ex-presidents on the run from assassins.
One scene I did like was when they finally reach President Kramer's library, and there's a cut-out standing board with Lemmon as a young actor in uniform, supposedly when Kramer was a Second World War soldier.A decent one-watch but unfortunately a comedy which had much more potential than it realizes.
The two leads, Jack Lemmon and James Garner who are heavy-hitting dramatic-comedic talents make it work.
I never even realized that Jack Lemmon and James Garner generated such great chemistry together.
James Garner has become one of my all time favorite actors ever since I saw him in "Maverick" (the movie).His ironic portrayal of selfish and arrogant ex-prez is the only thing that lifts this movie above average.As for other actors, I never liked Lemmon, Aykroyd or that guy from Tween Peaks.
The pursuit itself has some funny moments (immigrant sequence and gay parade sequence), but as in many Hollywood movies about government it gets rather pathetic when the ex-presidents run into a trailer family.Nevertheless, buddy-buddy scheme works pretty well and convincing here, with annoying Lemmon and appealing Garner as involuntary buddies..
I became a really big fan of Jack Lemmon, and he and Garner had chemistry in this movie, although I am thinking that Lemmon was such a great talent that anyone could have chemistry with him.
McGill is good but his part of the film is the `serious, dramatic plot' and it doesn't gel at all with the odd-couple comedy that makes up all Lemmon/Garner's scenes.Overall this is pretty average but is just about amusing enough to be worth watching as long as you're not in a demanding mood.
This delightfully funny comedy features the exploits of two former U.S. Presidents (and political/personal enemies) having to work together while on the run to uncover a scandal and clear their names.
The leads are delightful to watch, and the movie was altogether very funny with constant laughs and numerous great lines.*** out of ****.
Dan Aykroyd plays the current president William Haney and John Heard is the vice president Ted Matthews.Lauren Bacall plays Kramer's wife Margaret.My Fellow Americans from 1996 is filled with good actors.The leading couple Lemmon and Garner are very charismatic as the former presidents.In the movie the presidents get into many hilarious situations.I'm sure none of the former presidents has been in a gay parade.Nobody knows where Bill Clinton has  been.This is a perfect movie to watch especially now because George W.
I recommend My Fellow Americans for everybody who likes a movie with politics and who doesn't..
Jack Lemmon and James Garner play ex-presidents Russell Kramer and Matt Douglas, who find themselves embroiled in a murder plot and have to go on the lam.
Along the way, they keep bickering, and Douglas tells a Mexican immigrant an unsavory story about Kramer (I was twelve when the movie came out, and...well, let's just say that it's the sort of thing that would make a twelve-year-old laugh hysterically).
William Haney with all the sliminess that one would associate with a politician.Among other things, "My Fellow Americans" shows that Lemmon and Garner still could put on great performances even in their elder years, and so could Lauren Bacall, as Kramer's wife Margaret.
The bloopers on the DVD are worth watching, if only to get a sense of what it must be like to work with Lemmon and Garner.
Former presidents Republican Russell Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Democrat Matt Douglas (James Garner) are political enemies.
Jack Lemmon and James Garner are two veteran actors who rarely disappoint with their performances.
Gardner thinks he will get party support to run as President again if he helps out in this frame up.Both end up being kidnapped and their life in danger.These guys are great actors and in their older years not bad.
An uneven and poorly written comedy that tried to have Jack Lemmon continue his string of "Grumpy Old Men-like films.
This movie starring Jack Lemmon, James Garner and Lauren Bacall is funny and entertaining.
Lemmon's gift of comedy is best displayed in this movie, with Garner playing in possibly his best comedic role of his career.
Of course we know by now that Jack Lemmon and James Garner are great comedic actors, but this is not the right material for them to flaunt their talents.
This is a pretty unique presidential comedy because the protagonists, Jack Lemmon and James Garner, are a pair of presidents already out of  office.
In this fictionalized world, the US has had two recent one-term presidents (Jack Lemmon and James Garner).
This makes the film seem a bit like "Grumpy Old Men"--and simply having the two fine actors gripe at each other is more than enough to provide laughs and some fine moments.By the way, if you do watch, pay attention during the horseback scene.
James Garner and Jack Lemmon are great in this movie.
Former Republican president Russell Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and former Democratic president Matt Douglas (James Garner) hate each other with a passion.
My Fellow Americans (1996): Dir: Peter Segal / Cast: Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Dan Aykroyd, Lauren Bacall, John Heard: Missed opportunity that rehashes road movie clichés.
Jack Lemmon and James Garner play two former Presidents who hate each other but are brought together when scandal threatens their lives.
Who would of thought that two old men, well known actors Jack Lemmon and James Garner had such a sense of humor and could pull off such a funny, entertaining movie.