Presidents

Two former French presidents sit at the center of a sharp political comedy. Nicolas Sarkozy dreams of a comeback and tries to persuade François Hollande to join forces for a joint bid that would bring them back into the public eye. The plan sets off a side by side of power, ego and media pressure, and it's staged in rooms where alliances form and shift with a single headline. Natalie, a capable aide, juggles press demands and the tangled loyalties of two aging leaders. With quick humor and a light touch, the film skewers the theater of campaigning and the vanity that fuels it.

Directed by Anne Fontaine, Presidents is a 2021 French comedy built around real political figures rather than a book adaptation. The film brings Jean Dujardin as Sarkozy and Grégory Gadebois as Hollande in a mostly original screenplay and fresh ensemble energy. Fontaine keeps the mood brisk with crisp timing and a focus on the ritual of press conferences, photo ops, and backroom deals.

Box office details for Presidents are not widely reported, suggesting a modest theatrical footprint. The film likely followed a traditional European release and relied on performance and timing rather than blockbuster numbers. It leans on character dynamics, with Natalie serving as a steadying influence amid ego driven capers and shifting loyalties.

There are no major awards cited for Presidents, and it did not rack up notable nominations. The focus remains on the cast and the satirical premise rather than the awards circuit.

Reception is mixed with a 5.3 out of 10 from 147 votes. The film weighs power and media theater through the uneasy pairing of rival leaders, suggesting that influence depends as much on optics as policy and that memory can be a double edged sword. The dialogue and performances keep the topic accessible, inviting viewers to consider how political theater shapes memory and judgment.