This is one of those movies that grows on you after seeing it. Some people have cast this as political satire, but it's difficult to see who's getting skewered, besides Congress in general. Essentially this is the West Wing with laughs thrown in, and as such it works. The closest thing to a "message" is last line of the movie, and while basically the story of every war we've fought over the last century, could almost go either way in terms of the war America is currently engaged in. As such, no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on (except the Social Conservative side, as this movie glorifies fornication and drunken revelry).
Hoffman's having a big year, and I liked him far more in this movie than in his less believable and much less likable role in "Devil." This movie is actually pretty short but never feels rushed, and one movie you don't want to miss if you would prefer to sprinkle some lightheartedness into your politics over the biting satires and earnest melodramas that have dominated political movies of recent years.
Hoffman's having a big year, and I liked him far more in this movie than in his less believable and much less likable role in "Devil." This movie is actually pretty short but never feels rushed, and one movie you don't want to miss if you would prefer to sprinkle some lightheartedness into your politics over the biting satires and earnest melodramas that have dominated political movies of recent years.