The Contender

Drawing on recent White House shenanigans and Cold War political thrillers like Advise & Consent, Rod Lurie's second feature shows what happens when the first female vice-president (Joan Allen) becomes the target of scandalmongers from the opposition who uncover lurid dirt from her past. Jeff Bridges, Gary Oldman and Christian Slater also star. Screens tonight at the Cheri at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at the Copley Place at 11:30 a.m. and 2 and 4:30 p.m. Director Rod Lurie and star Jeff Bridges will appear at tonight's screening.

-- Peter Keough

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Film Festival Feature Films

Shadow of the Vampire | Songcatcher | Venus Beauty Institute | What's Cooking? | The Broken Hearts Club | Envy | Goya in Bordeaux | Human Resources | Skipped Parts | Amargosa | Henry Hill | Relative Values | The Rising Place | The Contender | Pitch People | Roof to Roof | Four Dogs Playing Poker | Reckless Indifference | Requiem for a Dream | Shadow Magic | About Adam | Charming Billy | Enemies of Laughter | Into the Arms of Strangers | Running on the Sun | A Trial in Prague | Harry, He's Here to Help | A Man is Mostly Water | Seven Girlfriends

Also, Boston Film Festival short films