Tanner '88 (2-DVD)

Both notorious in their respective fields for presenting biting, often hilarious, takes on modern life in America, director Robert Altman and cartoonist Garry B. Trudeau combined forces for this ground breaking mini-series made for the HBO network. Set during the 1988 presidential race, the cutting-edge satire follows the campaign of fictional democratic candidate Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy). A nice guy who doesn't seem to have the killer instinct of competitors Michael Dukakis or Jesse Jackson, Tanner nonetheless forges ahead with the help of his campaign manager T.J. Cavanaugh (Pamela Reed), youthful aide Stringer Kincaid (Daniel Jenkins), and teenage daughter Alex (Cynthia Nixon). Also thrown into the mix are kindhearted newspaper columnist Taggerty Hayes (Kevin J. O'Connor), ditzy assistant Andrea Spinelli (Ilana Levine), and Joanna Buckley (Wendy Crewson), Dukakis's campaign head and the secretive love of Tanner's life. Over the course of the series' 11 episodes, Altman brilliantly mixes real life politicians and celebrities with Trudeau's fictional characters, creating a candidate who is immediately recognizable and wholly believable. Murphy is a perfect choice for the well-intentioned Tanner, a man who is constantly questioning the absurdity of his surroundings. Hysterical, poignant, and deeply addictive, TANNER '88 is an unforgettable historical time capsule, compliments of two of the most original artists of late 20th Century America.