Why can't the most powerful man in the world have the one thing he wants most? When widower President Andrew Shepherd (Academy Award winner Michael Douglas) falls in love with beautiful environmental lobbyist Sydney Wade (Annette Bening) - just before he runs for reelection - he must weigh the political repercussions of his romance as his cynical opponent, Senator Bob Rumson (Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss), attempts to slander Shepherd as a radical and uses "family values" rhetoric to smear the widower incumbent President. Politics, the press, and deeply held values collide in this intelligent and hit romantic comedy from Rob Reiner.