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Man of the Year
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robin Williams
Genre:
Comedy
Run Time: 115
min.
Release Date:
October 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Combining serious drama
with adequate comedy is touchy at the best of times.
LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
pulled it off thanks to a topical subject and a fantastic script; not to
mention Albert Brooks' excellent broodish character portrayal. But MAN
OF THE YEAR can't come close by comparison. It has a messy message
folded in with forced jokes and a twisted love story that is completely
unbelievable.
The premise initially seemed very promising. Put a Jon Stewart-like
comedy news guy up for President of the United States and see what
happens. This independent runner is Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams, RV), a
successful TV personality who is pressured into running by his audience.
Along with him comes his manager Jack (Christopher Walken,
CLICK), and
his writer Eddie (Lewis Black). Seeming to have very little chance at a
successful run, Tom Dobbs amazingly wins the election.
But did he? Eleanor Green (Laura Linney,
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE) is
a computer whiz at the company who designed the new software for
electronic voting at polling stations. She finds a glitch in the system
that is quickly swept under the rug by the company's owner and his dark
attorney Alan (Jeff Goldblum,
FAY GRIM). Poised to lose billions
of dollars if word of this gets out, the company's evil men decided to
discredit and/or kill Eleanor to make sure she never tells anyone. But
Eleanor is able to get to President-elect Dobbs and finally spill the
beans (this is where the unbelievable love story starts blossoming,
too). Dobbs goes onto Saturday Night Live and explains everything to the
world, thus removing himself as the newly elected President and ending
the careers of those at the computer company ...oh, and saving Ms.
Green's life.
Does any of this sound funny? The comedy is forcefully wedged into the
story and is often awkward. Robin Williams blazes for a few moments
during a debate but is quickly doused as the gravity of how he became
President bears down on him.
The message of the film is interesting and debatable, too: that special
interest owns presidential candidates. I'm sure there's substantial
truth in this, and if you wanted to make a movie about it you could. If
you wanted to make a comedy about you could. But Man of the Year isn't
it.
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Image from Man of the Year
DVD cost: $23.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo?
Yes.
Newsworthy:
In one scene, Robin
Williams says something to the effect of going on a date with "Rachel
Tensions." "Rachel Tensions" was the role RuPaul had in To Wong Foo
Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1995). Robin Williams played "John
Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" in the film.
Movie Quote: "Just
off the top of my head I was thinking 'Bruce Springsteen: Secretary of
State.'"
Other Actors/Actresses
from Man of the Year
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