Man of the Year

[DotTheEyes]

Watch the trailer...

Robin Williams tries his very best to save Man of the Year, a film which can't decide if it's a bright political satire or a sinister corporate thriller, but fails. He stars as a popular, Jon Stewart-esque comedy newsman who, night after night, aims sardonic barbs at the fractured political system in Washington D.C. and gives a voice to the exasperated nation. After a flip comment ignites a grassroots campaign, he finds himself the top Independent candidate in the upcoming presidential election. In an incredibly surprising upset, he wins, beating more conventional Democratic and Republican opponents. But, as one mild-mannered Silicon Valley employee (Laura Linney) discovers, his win might be the result of a widespread glitch in a revolutionary new voting computer used nationwide.

It's here the movie splits into two and a disturbing, off-putting identity crisis rears its ugly head. The film tries to be both a comedy (a cartoonish Williams visits his new colleagues wearing a powdered wig) and a thriller (Linney is assaulted and drugged in her home by a mysterious criminal, sent by her nervous superiors to intimidate and terrify her). Barry Levinson may've been behind such modern classics as Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man, and Wag the Dog, but he drops the ball here, allowing bizarre tonal shifts to inflict significant damage upon his film. We can never become involved with the more serious matters because we know pure comedy will soon follow. Also, he dulls the political message as to not offend anyone, which turns what had the potential to be a relevant satire into nothing more than a whimisical, inconsistent farce.

Robin Williams dials up the mania and does generate significant laughs, but he can only carry the film (and his thin character) so far before it begins to tear. Veteran character actress Laura Linney fares much worse, delivering a grating, unsure performance. The less said about their chemistry-free romance the better. Of the supporting cast, Christopher Walken and Lewis Black steal scenes as Williams' character's steadfast right-hand men, while Jeff Goldblum's wasted as an amoral lawyer who is not on screen enough to blossom into a full-fledged villian.

Overall, Man of the Year isn't an awful film. It never bored me and certain elements, such as the charismatic, scenery-chewing Robin Williams, are successful, but it's definitely underwhelming because it could've been so much more with a clearer script and a braver, less-PC message.

Wait for DVD or TV. If you are going to the theatre, please see the powerful, unforgettable The Departed over this disappointing fluff.

[Geek]

Too bad. I love Robin Williams.

[DotTheEyes]

I do too, but he's been having a rough year. Both Man of the Year and RV, in my opinion, are fairly mediocre films. The Night Listener was good, however.