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2006
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MAN
OF THE YEAR
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STARRING:ROBIN
WILLIAMS,LAURA LINNEY,CHRISTOPHER WALKEN,LEWIS BLACK,JEFF GOLDBLUM,DAVID
ALPAY,DOUG MURRAY
WRITTEN
BY BARRY LEVINSON
PRODUCED
BY DAVID ROBINSON & JAMES G. ROBINSON
DIRECTED
BY BARRY LEVINSON
GENRE:COMEDY/THRILLER/ROMANCE
RATED:AUSTRALIA:MA/UK:N/A/USA:PG-13
RUNNING
TIME:115 MIN
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In
their first film since the 1992 flop Toys, writer/director
Barry Levinson and Robin Williams re-unite for Man of the Year.
Williams plays Tom Dobbs, a political comedian ala Jon Stewart, who
announces his candidacy for the President for the United States after
his millions of fans urge him to take on the top job. Hitting the
road with his manager Jack Menken (Christopher Walken) and their entourage,
Dobbs begins his campaign boring the audiences who only want to hear
his humorous antidotes on the political system, while he only wants
to talk about the issues. Finally hitting his stride when he lets
loose on his fellow candidates during the presidential debate, Dobbs
surprises the world (and himself) when he unexpectedly wins the election.
Meanwhile, Eleanor Green (Laura Linney) an employee for Delacroy Computers
- a company which has provided the country with a new, computerized
state of the art voting system - has found a glitch within the new
system which incorrectly announced the winner of the presidential
election. Afraid she will go to the press, her employers set up Eleanor
as a drug crazed loon who lacks any credibility. Convinced that the
truth must come out, Eleanor travels to Washington to let Dobbs know
the election was a fraud, the two developing a relationship in the
process.
Considering its cast, its filmmaker and its promising plot, it is
a disappointment to say that Man of the Year is a bumbling,
boring and underwhelming film. An uneasy mix of political satire and
thriller, the film never hits its stride, with whatever potential
it had held down by Levinson's uneven screenplay and the insipid performances
of Williams and Linney. As a comedy it is not funny, as a thriller
it is undone by its comedic elements, and its love story is an annoying,
ridiculous distraction.
With his best performances these days coming from his work in drama's
and thrillers, Williams proves that he is played out as a comedic
actor. He has re-hashed the same ol' jokes over and over again (I
have heard his intelligence design bit at least half a dozen times)
and his arm flailing, speed ball theatrics have grown tiresome. It
seems that Williams is channelling controversial comedian Bill Maher
- a bad move considering Maher is neither funny nor bright - and maybe
this explains his poor performance. Laura Linney - an actress who
I am a big fan of - gives her worst performance to date. Whether it
was the screenplay or Levinson's direction, this was the first time
I cringed watching a performance from Linney, and there is nothing
worse than watching one of your favourite actors struggling on screen.
Levinson does bring up a few important points, especially in regards
to the accountability of America's elected leaders to the people they
serve, and not to the companies and industries who fund their campaigns.
But an important message I got from this movie is that guys like Stewart,
Maher and Lewis Black (who coincidently co-stars), would not stand
a chance standing in the place of the people they ridicule because
it will be too hard, too big and too much of a job for them to handle.
The very idea of a comedian becoming the President of the United States
is both a liberating and scary thought, and unfortunately does not
make much of a movie. If you want great political satire, I would
recommend Warren Beatty's Bulworth or Levinson's Wag
the Dog. Stay clear from this drivel. |
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