Movies like The Front Runner (2018)
The best movies like The Front Runner (2018) are Game Change (2012), Kingmaker (2022) and The Ides of March (2011). If The Front Runner hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAll the President's Men (1976)7.7/10 from 2,195 votes
- NewestMexico 86 (2026)Released 2026
Game Change (2012)
During the Republican run of the 2008 Presidential election, candidate John McCain picks a relative unknown, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, to be his running mate. As the campaign kicks into high gear, her lack of experience, in both political and media savvy, becomes a drain upon McCain and his strategists.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKingmaker (2022)
Seo Chang-dae, an ambitious political campaign strategist who ends up having ideological differences with his present client, receives a lucrative offer that will put his loyalty under the microscope.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
The Ides of March (2011)
Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman's idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where 'victory' is relative.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecount (2008)
In 2000, the election of the U.S. Presidential boiled down to a few precious votes in the state of Florida — and a recount that would add "hanging chad" to every American's vocabulary.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrost/Nixon (2008)
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harboured doubts about their boss's ability to hold his own. But as the cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Post (2017)
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Inspired by true events.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVice (2018)
George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and Defense Secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll the Way (2016)
Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Contender (2000)
The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Special Relationship (2010)
A dramatisation that follows Tony Blair's journey from political understudy waiting in the wings of the world arena to accomplished prime minister standing confidently in the spotlight of centre stage. It is a story about relationships, between two powerful men (Blair and Bill Clinton), two powerful couples, and husbands and wives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlie Wilson's War (2007)
A Texas congressman sets a series of events in motion when he conspires with a CIA operative to aid Afghan mujahideen rebels fighting the Soviets.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll the President's Men Revisited (2013)
The Watergate case was the original game changer of America politics. How has Watergate changed the Presidency? What effect has the scandal had on our political leaders? And has hope and optimism forever been replaced in our national dialogue by doubt and cynicism? In 1973, Watergate's most pivotal year, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein doggedly investigated the scandal exposing the long, twisted trail of cover-ups and lies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history
Milk (2008)
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMexico 86 (2026)
When a last-minute chance to host the 1986 World Cup appears, a cunning Mexican bureaucrat, armed with nothing but guts and audacity, cons his way through FIFA to beat the United States, but in a country of power games, every victory has a price.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisW. (2008)
The story of the eventful life of George W. Bush—his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith—and the critical days leading up to his decision to invade Iraq.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Conquest (2011)
A look at French president Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to power.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisChappaquiddick (2018)
Ted Kennedy's life and political career become derailed in the aftermath of a fatal car accident in 1969 that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasino Jack (2010)
Based on a true story, a hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisOfficial Secrets (2019)
The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Iron Lady (2011)
A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAir (2023)
Discover the game-changing partnership between a then undiscovered Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the Air Jordan brand.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll the President's Men (1976)
During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Apprentice (2024)
A young Donald Trump, eager to make his name as a hungry scion of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn, the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé—someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiss Sloane (2016)
An ambitious lobbyist faces off against the powerful gun lobby in an attempt to pass gun control legislation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
The story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch-hunts in the early 1950s.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Taped at Los Angeles’ iconic Orpheum Theatre, this staged presentation of The West Wing’s “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode stars core cast members along with special guest stars. Act Breaks feature commentary from former First Lady Michelle Obama, President Bill Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda who share messages about the vital importance of making our voices heard in every election.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Confirmation (2016)
Judge Clarence Thomas' nomination to the United States' Supreme Court is called into question when former colleague, Anita Hill, testifies that he had sexually harassed her.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNixon (1995)
A look at President Richard M. Nixon—a man carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders while battling the self-destructive demands from within—spanning his troubled boyhood in California to the shocking Watergate scandal that would end his Presidency.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElla McCay (2025)
An idealistic young politician juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Front Runner?
The closest matches to The Front Runner are Game Change (2012), Kingmaker (2022) and The Ides of March (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Front Runner?
People who watched The Front Runner most often go on to Game Change (2012), Kingmaker (2022) and The Ides of March (2011).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Front Runner?
All the President's Men (1976), rated 7.7/10 by 2,195 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Front Runner?
Mexico 86 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Front Runner?
Yes: Game Change (2012), The Ides of March (2011) and Recount (2008).
How are movies similar to The Front Runner chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Front Runner, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.