Man of the Year (DVD, 2007, Widescreen Edition)

This film isn't always laugh out loud funny, so much as ironic. But I did scoff, snicker, and chuckle enough times to agree that it is a comedy, although it also has some strong dramatic elements, and a couple of hints of thriller.

Plot in a nutshell: think Jon Stewart runs for president, and wins due to a computer glitch. The woman who finds the glitch is set up and fired from the company that makes the computer voting program, and maybe worse. The comedian cum politician learns from this woman that the glitch exists, and has an moral crisis (yes, this is where the film becomes unbelievable, heh).

I don't think this movie would have been quite as good as it was without the great cast. Robin Williams is, of course, over the top - you can see smoke emanating from his ears during the serious parts of the film, but it makes sense with this script; it works. Laura Linney is great, again - I really like her work. And Christopher Walken is Christopher Walken. There's nothing else to say on that score. All of the supporting actors come together nicely, and the casting always seems appropriate.

Anyway, the main reason I like this film is that it's one of the very, very few pieces of political satire that manages to remain somewhat neutral toward real-world politics. Both sides (Democrats and Republicans) get their share of bearing the brunt. I may be unique in thinking this, but I get very tired of so-called comedies that end up being stages abused for the purpose of laying out the writers' personal politics, and attacking those whose politics differ. Man of the Year is advertised as a comedy, and it actually was one - not a Michael Moore documentary with a laugh track inserted (like some so-called comedies these days).

I definitely recommend you see this film. It's not going to change your life, but it's light-hearted, and pretty darned good. My kind of movie!

Comedy and Drama, only as Robin Williams can do. Robin Williams plays a talk show host and Comedian Tom Dobbs, who is asked during a show if he will run for President? Soon the movie is off and running. A different style of candidate is in the race for the whitehouse. Delcroy is the new voting machine and a woman finds a glitch in the software. And the drama is off and running. Christopher Walken is Williams manager and Jeff Goldblum is the high centered Delcroy marketer who sees the company profits go into the toilet unless he can stop the woman.
The race to the white house is anything but, a race as Americans soon find that a funny man on the race, is very serious about the job, why are we listening to the same old oil barons and financiers who say they can run this country when they cant even balance their own checkbooks?
This is a must see for anyone looking to escape the normal ratrace along election time....

Just imagine Jon Stewart becoming President, thats basically the same premise for Tom Dobbs (Williams) in Man of the Year. This movie is hilarious, and a must see for Robin Williams lovers. He has so many awesome jokes in this movie its amazing, and Christopher Walken and Lewis Black complement him very well. There is a serious side to the movie as well, a deeper meaning. Some could compare this comedy to Click... very funny but with an overall meaning. He gives a Mrs. Doubtfire-esque performance for me.

Man of the Year

Robin Williams is typical Robin Williams with his jokes and his fast talking and all that. He's great as News Show Comedian (ala Colbert) who runs for President.

Man of the Year features a well written story and a star studded cast. It has its share of laughter and mystery and it features Christopher Walken, which is never a a bad thing.

I really enjoyed this movie, a lot more than I thought I would, and I highly recommend it to anybody who loves Bill Mahrer, Stephen Colbert, or Jon Stewart. It's a great look into what Politics would be like if a comedian ran for office.

Final Verdict:

5/5

Worth buying?: This is a tough one, while I absolutely loved it the first time, I'm not really that pumped to buy it... watch it first before buying just in case!

Watching this movie showed me what could happen in our presidential elections someday. Robin Williams gave an outstanding performance in this role. Seeing David Letterman in person and seeing what goes on beyond the scenes makes this a realistic movie. It makes you laugh at our election system and at the same times it makes you think hard about system on how it works and ways it could be improved. i give this movie for lack of a better way to say it, two thumbs up. Any age can watch this movie as the language was very mild but gives a great example of our political system.