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(Photo by Ava Gerlitz, ©2006 Universal Studios)
NO REALLY, ALL JOKES ASIDE, I'M SERIOUS: Comedian Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams, center) realizes that he has a real opportunity to become president of the United States and proceeds to change his stump speech from a comedy routine into a serious discussion of the issues. |
Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is a popular late-night comedian who has built up big ratings by ridiculing politicians. His refreshingly honest exposure of flaws in the system has endeared him to the national audience that tunes in to his TV talk show.
In a presidential campaign year he impulsively enters the race after a fan suggests that he throw his hat into the ring. This decision confounds his producer (Christopher Walken) and his head writer (Lewis Black), both of whom assume that it's a publicity stunt.
However, they have a hard time discerning Tom's true intentions when he abandons his trademark irreverent humor and begins to earnestly address the concerns of the voters. Suddenly, taken seriously as a candidate, Dobbs ratings in the polls rise and he is invited to participate in the final presidential debate. He easily runs circles around the Democrat (David Nichols) and Republican (David Ferry) candidates and it becomes clear that the election is up for grabs.
This is the beginning of Man of the Year, a social satire directed by Oscar winner Barry Levinson (Rain Man). It's hard to believe that this film was made by the director of Wag the Dog (1997), a seminal contribution to cinema that suggested that the manipulation of the media could affect the outcome of an election.
However, Man of the Year doesn't have any insights into the current political landscape although the picture's trailers would have you believe otherwise. From the commercials, one might expect Dobbs to be dishing out the same sort of biting satire that Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert do in their late night comedy shows.
The film's fatal flaw is Levinson's reluctance to reign in Robin Williams, who runs roughshod over the script by combining his stand-up act with inane stream-of-consciousness dialogue. So, instead of thought provoking bon mots about the prevailing issues of the day, we're treated to offensive improvisations about nuns in thongs, Jewish Buddhists who sit and wait for things to go on sale, and the bachelor candidate's plans for an all-lesbian cabinet.
Dating himself, Williams resurrects old gags like, "If Mama Cass had shared a sandwich with Karen Carpenter, they'd both be alive today." They've both been dead for over 20 years! How ancient a demographic is Levinson shooting for?
Man of the Year attempts to raise questions about the reliability of electronic voting machines. The exploration of this theme features Laura Linney as Eleanor, a lowly computer nerd who reports a bug in the program to her company's executives. After they opt to cover it up, she becomes romantically involved with Dobbs in perhaps the most preposterous plot twist of the year.
A sloppily edited insult to one's intelligence with too many shortcomings.
Fair (1 star. Rated PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, sexual references, drug use, and brief violence). Running time: 115 minutes. Studio: Universal Pictures.
For more movie summaries, see Kam's Kapsules.