Claim: The Contender stars James Spader.

The Contender is a 2000 political drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie . It stars Gary Oldman , Joan Allen , Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater . The film focuses on a fictional United States President -LRB- played by Bridges -RRB- and the events surrounding his appointment of a new Vice President -LRB- Allen -RRB- .   The film serves as a response to the Lewinsky scandal that arose during the presidency of Bill Clinton . It also became the subject of controversy regarding alterations that allegedly displeased Oldman , who co-produced . Joan Allen was nominated for Best Actress and Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards .