Presidents get no respect. They serve their country, hardly ever do anything illegal or immoral, and what thanks do they get? Here and there they get a coin, a school, a library, a statue. More and more, however, someone puts them in a bizarre movie that belittles their greatness (or their weaknesses) and there's nothing they can do about it. Especially not if they're already dead, as most presidents are. 

Here then, are a few examples of the strange things we (by which I mean film makers) have chosen to do with our elected leaders. (Or maybe not-clearly elected leaders, in the case of George W.) By the way, these are not for the most part romantic comedies - or romances of any sort.

1. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (2012) -- I wish I made this one up, but it's for real. The plot has Honest Abe discovering a plot by vampires to take over the United States. I can only hope it's some sore of political allegory.
   
2. "An Amercan Carol" (2008) -- A spoof of Michael Moore and liberals, in general, built around the concept of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." With the Father of Our Country as Angelina Jolie's father. Well, really with Jon Voight as George Washington.
   
3. "Definitely, Maybe" (2010) -- Real Bill Clinton shows up in old clips in the movie centered around a political campaign worker/consultant. Some of them relate to the Lewinsky scandal. A fake Clinton shows up jogging in Central Park.
   
4. "Fancy Pants" (1950) -- Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in an antic film that features a visit from Teddy Roosevelt.
   
5. "The Gorgeous Hussy" (1936) -- Hey, this one sounds romantic. IMDB says, "President Andrew Jackson's friendship with an innkeeper's daughter spells trouble for them both." With Lionel Barrymore as Andrew Jackson. Can we look for Drew Barrymore to play President Hillary Clinton someday?
   
6. "Wild, Wild West" (1999) -- Kevin Kline must save Kevin Kline from the evil doctor. In this case, Kline plays Artemus Gordon and Ulysses S. Grant.
   
7. "IQ" (1994) -- The wackier portrayal in this film is probably Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein, but there is also a bit with President Eisenhower.
   
8. "Dick" (1999) -- I think Dan Hedaya's great, but I'm not so sure about this movie, which has him as Tricky Dick Nixon. I only saw bits of it and it was hard to tolerate despite cute-as-buttons Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst.
   
9. "Pizza Man" (1991) -- Ronald Reagan is the president in this movie with a story based on a pizza man discovering a plot to rule the world. The only stranger presidential pizza man movie would be the one based on Herman Cain's  (former CEO of Godfather's Pizza) campaign for office.
   
10. "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" (2008) -- I'm probably not the first to say it, but this movie sounds like torture to me. The dope smoking protagonists share some with George W. Bush, though I thought W was more into coke.
    

Special Bonus: "The Man and the City" -- I just had to include this show although it's TV and though there's no real president. I liked it because Anthony Quinn plays a character with my last name added to a president: Thomas Jefferson Alcalá.