SummaryWhat would happen if one of the nation's funniest men became its leading one? This film answers just that question in a comic tale of an entertainer's accidental rise to power. (Universal)
SummaryWhat would happen if one of the nation's funniest men became its leading one? This film answers just that question in a comic tale of an entertainer's accidental rise to power. (Universal)
The most refreshing thing about Man of the Year is its mingling of comedy and suspense with common decency. Levinson asks his countrymen not just to know their limits, but also to reach them.
This movie features many one liners from Robin Williams and I'd suggest that if you like his stand up material then your likely to find this quite funny. The comedy is quite ascerbic but the story is pretty serious in tone and indeed the concept is quite interesting, infact I'd say its quite topical, highlighting the power of social media and how disillusioned people in the Western world tend to be, in terms of trusting politicians - here in the UK it made me think of the petition for Jeremy Clarkson to become prime minister - someone who is controversial but presumably people feel may understand and relate to, if not at least somehow better represents the average citizen moreso than other politicians(?) (which is a bit of a scary thought given some of the controversial views he's been in trouble for saying).
There are some some surprise plot twists present and I found the story quite intriguing - I couldn't tell what the ultimate outcome would be. Pace wise, this movie moves at a good rate, as it were. It is mainly about politics but its not as dry as it may sound - there are many scenes featuring him and those around him working on his campaign, bouncing off different ideas, with him giving some witty quips and there being discussion over how to market him as an independent political candidate. There are also multiple scenes of him appearing very passionately during debates and at rallies, which is quite compelling viewing, which could be seen as slightly car crash type viewing but I found it to be interesting and entertaining.
The other main cast member is Christopher Walken, who plays Dobbs' father, who fully supports him but equally has his own issues. The interaction between the two is quite good, although the relationship could be viewed as a bit too Hollywood perhaps, in one or two aspects which may be seen as spoilers if I were to go into details about. I felt that both of the main characters gave quite passionate performances, which certainly boosts the movies credibility.
I suppose it would be true to say its quite a Hollywood movie theme wise I suppose. I'm perhaps not sure if I find the movie in its entirety very realistic - would such scenarios be likely to happen? its a bit cheesy perhaps but I think the themes are quite pertinent, making you question how much of a joke politicians and politics or the state thereof can be seen as by others, as well as other things. There's also another more sinister subplot involving a potential whistleblower who makes an alarming discovery and is warned to drop her investigations, in relation to the election, which poses questions and again whistle blowers seem very much like a hot topic at the moment, especially in relation to the US.
Overall I found this movie quite witty, with plenty of humour and some fairly interesting plot twists, although in a way it could be seen as somewhat cheesy or predictable but generally speaking I found it quite entertaining and it made me think, it was both serious and amusing, so I enjoyed it. Its fairly light in some scenes and in others there are definitely some sinister undertones and the mix I felt was quite good, its pretty well balanced overall.
Yes. I found this to be an amusing, entertaining movie that wasn't too long and arduous - its pace is just about right, perhaps a little too fast at the start if anything but its certainly quite watchable and features some decent performances. Its quite relevant at the moment, in terms of the messages it contains and I thought it was a good watch in general, so I'm happy to recommend it. For the sake of balance, I'd say that some potential downsides would be that obviously it is based on politics which may be somewhat off putting to some, although I don't think its overly dry and also that there's a subplot which could be seen as a little cheesy. Perhaps it isn't the most original movie overall but I found it interesting and I'd say its worth a watch regardless. Its one of Robin Williams' better movies of recent years, or so I thought anyway and for that alone (plus the presence of Christopher Walken) I'd say this is worth watching.
Man of the Year suffers from explaining itself far too much, it delves into ridiculous plot twists that really bring the film in a different direction, its funny, exciting but takes itself way too seriously. Robin Williams delivers his stand-up routine for most of the film, that is certainly not a complaint, his energetic and witty one liners and long speeches are the knockout points of the film, but even he seems a little bored when the plot thickens to a murky mess.
Williams play renowned comedian Tom Dobbs,the films answer to Jon Stewart, a man who is told the simple yet thoughtful remark by an audience member, that he should run for President. When this little act of truth soon reaches a chain reaction, Tom Dobbs is in fact running as a presidential candidate, and is receiving overwhelming support for his honesty, lack of campaign money and general state of not pulling the wool over peoples eyes, with the help of his team, including Jack (Christopher Walken) and Eddie (Lewis Black). The chemistry shared with these three onscreen is brilliant and improvised gold.
But the wool is being pulled elsewhere, and this is the reason the film falls so heavily from its perch, as we see a witty and lift-hearted comedy turn into a conspiracy involving politics and voting.
Eleanor Green (Laura Linney) works for a company works for the company that runs the new system for voting, so when she discovers a fault with the system, a one to one with her boss turns into a fear for her life, as they want to cover up the mistake while she wants to expose it.
This is a classic case of a film going too far with its imagination, it tries to be too many things and ends up not being any of them, instead becoming a muddled fiasco of jokes that don't fit the conspiracy story, and even a blossoming love story that falls flat. But with all its failures there is still an enjoyable element to the film, the comedy is top notch and hits the mark, particularly because is reflects true life events, it has the gall stand to stand and address the necessary points through the energetic Robin Williams. But the rest of the cast all do a fine job in their roles, even id Jeff Goldblum's character is a little too maniacal for the film, but then again, the film does try and go that way.
An overblown mess of a film, with the best parts coming at the beginning and not continuing on, a genre should be picked and settled on, with no additions, sub-stories or what have you added to a film like this, it just becomes plain silly.
A movie that can be smart-funny and astutely topical. But if what you're expecting is a start-to-finish laugh fest, beware: This picture takes some detours and never really figures out what kind of movie it wants to be.
Levinson diverts his film into a political thriller with its own conspiracy theory, an improbable romance and a curious subplot that feels like an anti-smoking ad. Little wonder his bewildered star, Robin Williams, looks confused much of the time.
The result is a mess -- sometimes an entertaining mess, but mostly a movie that makes a perfunctory mockery of the mockery currently passing for political discourse.
It's a comedy, a political thriller, a love story: Barry Levinson's Man of the Year tries to be all things to all people and fails on every count -- a little like the generic, ineffectual politicians it's pretending to excoriate.
There are some movies that almost look like prophecies. In this film, a highly popular comedian leverages his fame and notoriety to create an independent, largely Internet-based support platform, through which he launches an election run to the White House.
The film debuted in 2006, isn't one of the best known in Robbin William's filmography but remains very pertinent and current if we take into account the latest developments in US politics, and the election of the current president, Donald Trump. Like the protagonist, Mr. Trump had no prior political experience and used all of his fame and notoriety to reach the presidency. Both are outsiders, who apply to please those who are tired of conventional politicians. Curious, is not it?
Williams is good in the lead role, which is basically the typical comic character that he knew how to do very well. So, without surprises, he stands out and does a very good job. Behind him, we can see a competent cast of supporting actors. Laura Linney is, perhaps, the actress whose character is more within a dramatic profile. Its around her that a conspiracy revolves around, preventing an electoral error from becoming public and ruining all future prospects of a large technology company. Christopher Walken, for his part, plays a clever political aide with an eye for the show.
Should be two films, the second part; political thriller with Laura Linney's character escaping the machinations of her previous employers deserves to be more in depth, and is far more interesting than the middle-of-the-road antics of a comedian running for office.
If they wanted to make a movie about a late night host, Conan O'Brien was the Choice.
Any movies based on John Stewart and Steven Colbert are sure to fail. And this was one of them. A dull, boring, never a single laugh, just a sad and miserable movie. It's just boring.