The Democratic President, Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges), a wily, dominating fellow who may not be good at heart, nominates a woman, Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), to be his Vice-President after the sitting Vice-President dies.
The movie, which also stars Stiller as struggling action star Tugg Speedman and Jack Black as gross-out king Jeff Portnoy, features some testy altercations between Downey's Lazarus and Jackson's Chino.