Man of the Year

Released: 10/13/06

Viewed: 2:15 pm 10/17/06

Starring: Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum

Directed by: Barry Levinson

Universal Studios Official Site of the Movie

There’s always been this itch in the back of my head whenever I’m watching a good political satire that something special was missing. Something that could take it to the next level. What could it be? More tension, more campaign slander, boobs? No, something else, and Barry Levinson’s new film Man of the Year is taking a stab at filling that void… with fart jokes. Really? He’s not going with boobs?

Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams), a late night political comedian (think Jon Stewart except for your grandparents) decides that the system is so messed up that he might as well run for office. He couldn’t do worse. With huge Internet support Dobbs takes his show on the road abandoning his comedy in favor of just the facts. Manger Christopher Walken and head writer Lewis Black plead with him to reintroduce some humor into the speeches, and supposedly he does, but I didn’t hear anyone off screen laughing and everyone on screen was… very polite. They could have gotten anybody to be a sounding board to Williams’ rambling, but at least Walken and Black are fun to watch. A gold star for the casting department!

The movies shifts gears and becomes less about Williams riffing on the state of the union and more about the conspiracy that wrongly elects him into office. Laura Linney is cute but crazy as the woman with all the answers, and Jeff Goldblum sizzles as a corrupt corporate monster. These two very capable talents help to substantiate the plot behind the joke.

The movie works much better as a political thriller than it does a political satire. The promotion for the film featuring Williams in a powered wig and relentlessly repetitive use of the music line “R, O, C, K in the USA�, could never have prepared me for the dark turns Man of the Year takes. I guess drug conspiracies, big business cover-ups and attempted murder go hand-in-hand with politics these days.

The mix, as unexpected as it was, is believable, but really needed the comedic balance to round things out. Instead the humor felt forced and desperate to be hip. Political humor can’t be cute, it needs to be edgy and Williams has as much edge as a Lady Schick. It’s not that I don’t think he’s funny. Robin Williams has his moments. I love Mrs. Doubtfire and Jack as much as the next guy, but I think his energetic verbal diarrhea is more suited to animated films where they can feature his great material and easily chop out the occasional nonsense.

That said the man is a seriously talented actor and is more than deserving of the accolades he’s received for movies like Insomnia, The Final Cut and What Dreams May Come. Even the film that got him the Oscar, Good Will Hunting is a great example of what he’s really capable of. (How do you like them bananas? OOOOOOO.) But his comedy act is outdated and desperate. Man of the Year feels like one long dinner where your father is trying to impress your new girlfriend, and he’s doing a lousy job. Then he looks down her shirt. Then he sets the dog on fire… etc.

While I was indifferent to the humor I was absolutely in love with the way this movie was shot. It’s a brilliant take on campaign filmmaking as so many of the shots are behind the scenes, or from the point of view of the crowd, or even directly off a TV screen. It’s the sort of thing where it’s probably bad if you notice it too much, but the perspective this film chose to approach politics took me completely by surprise. The movie is worth a viewing for that alone.

I’d chalk that up to Levinson’s experience but it was that same experience that let Robin Williams run wild on film. I have a lot of respect for Williams’ abilities, but as time goes on I find myself less and less attracted to his chaotic gibberish. People consider him one of the funniest men of recent times, but he’s just playing the odds. If you tell a thousand jokes, 1 or 2 are bound to hit.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Not blisteringly funny, but entertaining. I really love the way it was shot, but perhaps the best lessons this movie delivers to young filmmakers is 1 – If you land Robin Williams, double your film budget, and 2 – get Jeff Goldblum to play your villain. That guy is pure film candy.

DVD Worthy?:

Not even if it did have the laughs. This is a DVD for Grandpa’s collection and he doesn’t even know how to work the damn thing. For the real film buffs it might be worth a rental if there was a solid commentary track on it, but beyond that there’s been better work produced by everyone across the boards.

Recommendation: Head of State

Yes, THAT Head of State. The directorial début of Chris Rock who doesn’t bring the same kind of political tension that Levinson could scratch out of the crust in the corner of his eye, but he does supply plenty of laughs. Fast and edgy the way Man of the Year had wet dreams about being, well… maybe a little wittier, but a laugh’s a laugh, right?

Head of State isn’t Rock’s best work, but there are still plenty of real laughs, and it’s a nice light comedy for the common man that doesn’t want his political satires weighed down by the woes of reality. It satisfies the same straight-talking underdog desire that attracted you to Man of the Year, as well as the hard fought campaign setting. State has the laughs that Man of the year was looking for, but is less desperate for it’s other half in a plot. The story of the first elected African American president doesn’t completely explore how truly controversial that situation could be, but for the purposes of a few laughs, they lay down a strong groundwork.

Trailer Hitch: The Good Shepard

Woah. I knew The Good Shepard would have some good potential because of the cast that director Robert De Niro managed to round up, but the trailer for this movie kicked me straight in the ass. This early history of the CIA could be one of the early Oscar contenders of the winter season, but I’m trying not to get my hopes too high. All the Kings Men had an equally awesome cast and fell flat on it’s giant filibustering ass. A Prairie Home Companion came out last spring and had the same level of talent but only a slightly less pathetic box office and critical response. Emilio Estevez’ movie Bobby about the day Bobby Kennedy was shot is still to come and has the another draw-dropping cast but will it be another misfire?

A great cast is never enough to make a great movie, but there’s got to be reasons these talented people are accepting the work. Great director? Great script? Rent? Who knows, but The Good Shepard has presence and passion screaming that it’s the next Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, except more dangerous. And I’m all for that.

Outside the Theater: Check out the guest strip that I illustrated for Rob and Elliot. It was written by Mitch Clem who can make a Highlander reference work in any situation. God bless him. (Single tear)

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