first ladies

Michelle Obama and Ann Romney’s Favorite Films

Photo: Corbis

By now, first lady Michelle Obama and first lady hopeful Ann Romney are recurring characters in popular Everywoman magazines like Good Housekeeping and Ladies’ Home Journal, where they share cookie recipes and family scrapbooks. But with the election creeping up, the New York Times reports that both better halves are increasing their print media appearances.

Romney is still debating whether or not to reach a younger audience by sitting with the celebrity glossy Us Weekly, which Obama has granted four interviews in the last four years. (Hey, Romney could appear side-by-side with her husband’s old pal, Snooki!) But no matter whom they’re talking to, the Times notes, the interviews are strategically revelatory. Take, for example, their favorite films:

Mrs. Romney likes “The Sound of Music” while Mrs. Obama favors “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

One of these movies is about a big, wealthy, patriotic family that manages to be persecuted by the Nazis without being Jewish; another is about a middle class, small-business-owning family that relies on the safety net of a strong community in a time of unexpected personal crisis. Also, one of them is beloved by children and includes distracting musical numbers and puppets.