No recount needed: The 20 best election movies, ranked

While not a single film, an exception has to be made for Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau's satiric look at a presidential campaign, "Tanner '88." Starring Michael Murphy as hopeful Democratic nominee Jack Tanner, viewers got a true bird's eye look at the rigors of a presidential campaign from a number of perspectives, weaving in a bit of reality of fiction as actual politicians and candidates are included in the mockumentary, including eventual nominee Michael Dukakis. "Tanner '88" is a slice of reality television long before that became an actual thing.

The concept may be absurd, but there's something about "Swing Vote" that resonates on its own as a commentary on the importance of every single vote. Kevin Costner stars as Bud Johnson, a bit of a slacker everyman who isn't all that politically engaged but becomes the focus of national media attention as a voting machine glitch positions his revote as the most important in history. 

Using raucous comedy to expose real issues in our political process, "The Campaign" stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as a pair of North Carolinians facing off to win a seat in Congress, both pushed from the sidelines by less than savory hands. The film shows how outside influences can turn the political process from something originally pure into something more sinister.

"Election Year" is the third sequel in the popular "Purge" series. Elizabeth Mitchell is Charlene Roan, a senator running for president on the platform of ending the yearly Purge, the blood-soaked event that seems to mostly target those in poorer and ethnic communities. Of course, the nefarious New Founding Fathers of America, the creators of the Purge, aren't having any of that, so Senator Roan becomes a target during the latest Purge. Luckily for her, the head of her security detail is Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), featured in the previous "Purge" film as being particularly handy with a gun or two.

A quirky coming-of-age comedy, "Napoleon Dynamite" is the tale of an awkward teen (Jon Heder) who lives a pretty weird existence, but he also believes in his new friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a transfer student from Juarez, Mexico, enough to help him run for class president. Hijinks ensue, but the result is a funny and surprising heartwarming (in a weird way) tale that sees Pedro, with the help of Napoleon, do the impossible.

Sean Penn stars in the life story of assassinated gay rights leader and political candidate Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's "Milk." Following Milk from his early social activism in New York City to larger political aspirations once arriving in San Francisco, "Milk" is equal parts inspiring and ultimately heartbreaking as a promising political figure is cut down way too soon by someone who opposes him based on basic bigotry and selfishness. 

"Grumpy Old Men" for the political set, "My Fellow Americans" features a pair of one-term ex-presidents (Jack Lemmon, James Garner) who find themselves caught up in a scandal not of their making, one that threatens to kill them both. Full of slapstick humor and light on message, "My Fellow Americans" is a different type of campaign film with a surprise ending that probably wouldn't ever happen in reality, but it doesn't make it any less entertaining.

A disgruntled reporter fabricates a suicide note from a John Doe decrying society's ills, and when the letter garners a positive response from the public, the reporter has to come up with a real face behind the letter, hiring a homeless man (Gary Cooper) to fill the role. Things spiral out of control when the ringer is used to help bolster the political chances of a third-party candidate, causing the lies to multiply until things head to an ironic conclusion. However, since this is a Frank Capra film, all cynicism is replaced with earnestness, something largely missing in today's political films.

Directed by Barry Levinson, "Wag the Dog" is a dark comedy about how a political spin doctor employs a Hollywood movie mogul to distract the public from a presidential sex scandal during the height of the campaign. Using a manufactured, fictional war, the mogul and spin doctor are able to sway sentiment back to the president, but not without unintended consequences that threaten to derail everything.

Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is a high school senior who seems to have all the popularity, but she also has a wickedly dark side. In Alexander Payne's "Election," we see how Flick balances that dark side (having an affair with a teacher) with early political aspirations as she stops at nothing to win class president. Matthew Broderick stars as a teacher who sees through Flick and risks his own career to stop her.

Based on Joe Klein's (as Anonymous) fictional take on the Clinton campaign, "Primary Colors" takes viewers inside a one-of-a-kind politician whose vices are almost as strong as his idealism. While the film never had the impact the book did, the performances are strong from John Travolta as a Bill Clinton surrogate and Emma Thompson as his Hillary-esque wife, who may or may not have political aspirations of her own.

Oliver Stone delivers a searing depiction of the political life and times of Richard Nixon (Anthony Hopkins), and while the film is certainly a biography first, "Nixon" makes our list largely because Nixon basically spent his political life campaigning. Not immediately adored like personal rival John Kennedy, Nixon takes the years of spite and turns them into the sort of never-ending campaign that sees Nixon reach the highest level of government, even if he never fully had the respect or adoration of the public he served.

George Clooney directs and stars in this story of a junior campaign manager (Ryan Gosling) who finds himself embroiled in a scandal as he tries to secure an endorsement for his candidate, Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) who has similar skeletons in his own closet. "The Ides of March" is an uncompromising political fable that shows how even the biggest campaign battles are won behind the scenes, with neither side looking particularly clean afterward.

Wildly controversial for its time, John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" follows a group of Korean War prisoner-of-war vets who return home, one of whom has a mother who tries to use his status to mount his stepfather's political career. What comes after is a dark tale of subversion, betrayal and treason that potentially threatens the country. Frank Sinatra stars as one of the POWs who uncovers the truth and fights to derail the campaign before it's too late.

Chronicling Senator John McCain's (Ed Harris) choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) as his running mate in the 2008 presidential election, "Game Change" shows how a seemingly innovative choice quickly spirals out of control. Palin struggles to handle the pressure of running in a national campaign while public sentiment grows darker in a way that directly affects McCain's voter base, one featuring increasingly xenophobic voters, causing McCain to question a number of his choices, including Palin.

Tim Robbins was the driving force behind "Bob Roberts," a mockumentary he wrote, directed and starred in depicting a senatorial race between country music singer and republican Roberts (Robbins) and incumbent democrat Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal). Roberts, who leans heavily into his cache as a "salt of the earth" performer, threatens to be exposed for more than what he seems, causing good people to be crushed under the steam of the seemingly unstoppable Roberts machine.

Before Cory Booker became a firebrand on Capitol Hill as the junior senator from New Jersey, he was in the fight of his life to win City Hall by unseating longtime Newark mayor Sharpe James. "Street Fight" is a wildly entertaining look at how a young lion threatens to upend the status quo with a fresh message while facing off against a political machine that may be too strong for the community activist to beat as he fends of questions about his personal life and beliefs. 

A comedy-drama honing in on the cynicism pervading politics, "The Candidate" is a sharp satire about a campaign manager (Peter Boyle) in search of a candidate, whom he finds in the form of a handsome and idealistic son of a former California governor. As Bill McKay, Robert Redford exudes confidence and charm as a candidate, who because he's not expected to win, has the freedom to say what he wants — that is, until his message gets him ahead in the polls, throwing everyone's plans into upheaval. 

Anthony Weiner was once a shining star in national politics before a sex scandal would find him leaving congress in disgrace. "Weiner" is a documentary showing Weiner on the comeback trail as he mounts a campaign for mayor of New York City, an office that seemed like a shoo-in for the charismatic politician, that is until another sex scandal arises and buries the once-promising Weiner for good. "Weiner" is a hard film to watch at times, as the joy of resurrecting a career on life support turns into a chronicle of real-life pain for those who saw their trust in a candidate once again be abused for selfish reasons.

Chronicling the Watergate scandal resulting from a break-in by Nixon operatives, "All the President's Men" is a dramatization of the events as Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein (Robert Redford) and Bob Woodward (Dustin Hoffman) find out more than they ever could've expected, the information of which would derail a presidency after the 1972 election. A high water mark for political drama that is relevant to this day.

At the top of our list is a documentary about the 1992 presidential campaign from the perspective of the Clinton team, particularly that of unconventional campaign managers James Carville and George Stephanopoulos. "The War Room" gives a unique look at a number of events during the campaign, including a few surprises, such as the Gennifer Flowers scandal and how third-party candidate Ross Perot affected the campaign. To date, it's the best look at how a presidential campaign works, particularly under fire.