Starring:
Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen
Donald Sutherland as Nathan Templeton
Harry J. Lennix as Jim Gardner
Kyle Secor as Rod Calloway
Ever Carradine as Kelly Ludlow
Matt Lanter as Horace Calloway
Caitlin Wachs as Rebecca Calloway
Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Amy Calloway
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Richard ‘Dickie’ McDonald
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 427 Minutes
Synopsis:
Commander in Chief originally from 2005-2006. The following is from the DVD cover:
“Geena Davis lights up the screen as President Mackenzie Allen, earning a Golden Globe(R) award for Best Actress in the show’s inaugural season. Experience the first 10 thrilling episodes of the captivating drama, starring Davis, Emmy(R) Award winner Donald Sutherland, and an acclaimed cast. When the President of the United States dies in office, his independent Vice President ventures into territory no woman has ever entered before. Now, the nation’s first female Commander in Chief must balance the pressures of running the country and the responsibility of raising a family while facing a sustained torrent of underhanded attacks from the Speaker of the House (Sutherland). It’s an exhilarating blend of suspense and drama that O, The Oprah Magazine, calls “realistic and riveting!””
Commander in Chief: The Inaugural Edition Part 1 is rated TV-PG.
Mini-Review:
I never saw Commander in Chief when it aired on NBC, but I was certainly intrigued by the concept. The idea of someone being the first female President is great material for a TV series to explore. There are all sorts of implications to it that lead to drama how does her husband react to being the ‘First Lady’, how do Islamic countries respond to a female leader, how does she balance the roles of mother and President. The possibilities go on and on and Commander in Chief explores them all to one degree or another. The show also benefited from an extraordinary cast including Geena Davis, Donald Sutherland, Peter Coyote, Natasha Henstridge, Bruce Boxleitner, and many more.
However, despite everything this show had going for it, the final result was well .boring. There’s only so long that the novelty of a female President is effective before you start expecting more, and the series didn’t really deliver in my opinion. Every episode featured Davis and her family reluctantly adjusting to the role of President, political scheming in Washington, and dealing with some global crisis that Davis solves in an unrealistic but very Hollywood manner. It got old quickly. You see enough scheming and politics in the real world without having to be subjected to it in your entertainment.
If you’re a fan of Geena Davis or political dramas, then Commander in Chief will likely appeal to you. And if you’re a fan of the TV series and you’re thinking of buying this DVD, you should know that this only contains the first 10 episodes. The second 10 are due out September 5. There are also no bonus features on this set. I don’t know if a complete set with bonus features is coming later, but I imagine that fans of the series would rather wait for that than pick up this DVD.
