Spoiler Alert: They couldn’t put the presidency back together again!

Movie: All the President's Men

Rank: 77

Year: 1976

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jason Robards

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How should I handle being behind schedule on my blog? Did you say get further behind? Oh, wow, then I am killing it! Time to channel my inner-IB kid and high-tail my way to being caught up.

Rewind by a month, I decided the best way to celebrate Presidents’ Day was to see All the President’s Men for the first time at the Alamo! Nothing quite says the Oval Office like a movie about the importance of a watchdog press following a story while encumbered by presidential threats.

Before Brangelina, there was Woodstein, the dynamic duo of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Bob was ever the charismatic go-getter working off a hunch when covering a trial and Carl, the neurotic journalist who forced his way onto the story.

Together, they took a hunch and followed the story to the truth, President Nixon was involved in a conspiracy to illegally spy on and sabotage his opponents which came to a head at the Watergate Hotel.

"Does the FBI know what we know? Does the Justice Department? Why haven't they done anything?"

- Bob Woodward, All the President's Men

Surprisingly, this movie has stood the test of time despite being filmed just a couple years after Nixon’s actual resignation. Typically, time and perspective aid in the telling of a tale such as this, but relying on the story of Woodstein allows the plot to unfold without the weight of historical context. A script about the laborious nature of journalism is made thrilling under the deft hand of William Goldman, novelist and screenwriter behind the future classic, The Princess Bride.

"All these neat, little houses and all these nice, little streets... It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses."

-Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men

This movie has a stacked cast, featuring many great American actors and the older men from romantic comedies I grew up watching. It was hard not to see Saul from While You Were Sleeping while watching Harry Rosenfeld or Chris O’Donnell’s family friend in The Bachelor when listening to Hal Holbrook. Plus, what would a movie on the list be without Dustin Hoffman or Robert Redford. Though, I must admit, going back and watching these films, I am constantly confronted with sexual predators and pedophiles long embedded in Hollywood. Here’s looking at you Stephen Collins.

Side Note: With a few notable exceptions, such as Hook, I didn’t watch an overwhelming number of Dustin Hoffman films growing up. While seeing him in these various roles which defined his career, I can’t help but notice the typecasting. Much like Jake Johnson’s regular casting as the schlubby friend or Zooey Deschanel’s typical manic pixie dream girl, Hoffman’s bread and butter seems to be the neurotic lead who struggles to have his cocky voice heard.

The shots in this movie really assisted in the storytelling, rather than just setting up a pretty picture. One notable shot featured the television airing the inauguration of Nixon for his second turn, while the story that would be his undoing was being written in the background.

"Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country."

- Ben Bradlee, All the President's Men

Having already watched The Post, a contemporary movie with some of the same real life players covering a story predating Watergate, I would be lying if I didn’t see references being made under Spielberg’s direction. Though I may be biased, both films complement each other and convey the importance of a press speaking truth no matter the wishes of the power. Both are also masterfully done.

There is some irony to The Washington Post’s current tagline, “Democracy dies in darkness.” In All the President’s Men, Woodstein proves that sometimes under the veil of darkness sources speak and democracy may just be saved. In this darkness, Deep Throat tells his tale. It is in darkness where Bernstein is finally invited into a home for some answers. It is in darkness when Nixon took a great fall, but none of his men could put his presidency back together again.