Political scientists on film

Posted By Daniel W. Drezner Monday, January 26, 2009 - 12:25 AM Share

It's Oscar season, and the general consensus seems to the that the actual Oscar nominations mostly suck eggs.

So, playing off this Tyler Cowen post about economists in the movies, I began to wonder if the problem is that movies need to have more political scientists in them. After all, how many political scientists -- as opposed to politicians -- have been portrayed on film?

The answer appears to be "not many." Some of the people on Tyler's list -- Carl Kaysen in Girl, Interrupted, for example -- qualify for political science as well. Independent of Cowen's list, however, I could only think of three movie characters who were clearly identified as political scientists:

Walter Matthau as Professor Groeteschele in Fail Safe (1964)
Coutney B. Vance as Luke in The Last Supper (1995)
Kurt Russell as Dr. David Grant in Executive Decision (1996)

This is pretty thin gruel.

Of course, that could be because our jobs are boring, or it could be because political scientists are "incredibly uncool, socially inept, and about as socially connected to high society as Gomer Pyle on crystal meth."

Question to readers: I'm sure that there are poli sci characters in movies that I am missing. Who are they?

EXPLORE:ACADEMIA, FILM, POLITICAL SCIENCE

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CONMULLIGAN

1:07 AM ET

January 26, 2009

Forgettable

I don't know of any of the top of my head; however, I'm sure films like Primary Colors, Bob Roberts, The Contender, The Manchurian Candidate, Lions for Lambs, and anything by Aaron Sorkin are saturated with self-identified political scientists.

It's a pity none of these fictional brethren are memorable.

PAUL GOWDER

1:26 AM ET

January 26, 2009

How about Dr. Strangelove?

I can't remember whether the movie is clear about what discipline he's from... but he smacks of a RAND corp. game theorist, which is close enough for me!

GABBYD

2:09 AM ET

January 26, 2009

Jack Ryan

isn't Jack Ryan an ex-marine who became a CIA analyst? (hunt for red october). doesn't he count?

DANIEL W. DREZNER

3:09 AM ET

January 26, 2009

Not so much

Nah... he's a historian.

SJC

5:44 PM ET

January 26, 2009

Strand Poly

I could have sworn it said in the beginning of the Hunt for the Red October that he teaches in the War Studies Department at King's College London... hence his having to travel to Washington from London. I don't have the book with me so I can't check.

RSPORTER

9:35 PM ET

January 26, 2009

Via Google Books, Page

Via Google Books, Page 95:

"You're an historian, right?" the president asked, reviewing his notes. Ryan hadn't even noticed him holding a pen.
"Yes, Mr. President. That's what my graduate degree's in." Ryan shook his hand.

ALMANAC

2:56 AM ET

January 26, 2009

Walter Matthau in Fail Safe

Playing Prof. Groeteschele (based on Herman Kahn). Not the most flattering portrayal of the science, but hey it's a mention.

EDIT: Whoops, it was in the linked post.

DROESCH

1:17 PM ET

January 26, 2009

I' pretty sure Dr. Malley in

I' pretty sure Dr. Malley in "Lions for Lambs" is a professor of political science...

1:56 PM ET

January 26, 2009

TV show, not movie, but...

Dr. Elizabeth Weir from the Sci-fi TV shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis is a political scientist, with a PhD and was a professor at Georgetown. Can't think of any movie characters though.

DICK WINTERS

4:01 PM ET

January 26, 2009

In the best political film

In the best political film ever made, The Candidate, I suspect that the befuddled, inept academic pictured in the group gathering when -- I believe it was -- Natalie Wood stopped by Robert Redford's campaign office was a political scientist.

SJC

5:52 PM ET

January 26, 2009

Nicole Kidman played Dr.

Nicole Kidman played Dr. Julia Kelly, a nuclear expert, in the film The Peacemaker. {Her expertise seems to be more political/terrorism than actually nuclear.)

LARS

7:18 PM ET

January 28, 2009

That Superbad Arlington Road Movie

Jeff Bridges played a political scientist in Arlington Road. I'm pretty sure that neither Bridges nor anyone involved in the production of that movie ever sat in a poli- sci classroom however, judging from the thoroughly unconvincing performance.
He plays a specialist in terrorism and at one point in a lecture he asks his students how random violence "makes them feel."
How does terrorism make you feel? What the hell kind of question is that?

BKLUNK

12:39 AM ET

January 29, 2009

Gee, Are We Really That Bad

According to a recent post on Crooked Timbers http://crookedtimber.org/2009/01/22/hotties-and-notties/ we are relatively hot, so that may not explain it. A couple old political science majors, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, are the creators of the great, even cinematic TV series Battlestar Galactica.