Review of Man of the Year (1995) by Tonypolito — 21 Aug 2010
Two films in one, neatly divided into two halves, but neither half is fully realized.
The first half is a thinly-veneered comedic stab at the various political and electoral scandals of recent history. Williams is the unlikely candidate (a Jon Stewart-styled talk show host) who readily admits he inhaled, who jibes he didn't have sex with her but wanted to, who calls to the carpet other candidates bought off by lobbyists, who wags his finger at Congressmen who obsess about flag-burning that doesn't exist while ignoring issues of real importance, who is erroneously elected due to defective voting machines.
Unfortunately, these are only stabs but not anywhere near fatal wounds. Through his fast-paced zingers, Williams is stating just how serious these problems really are - then the script just lets the entire matter drop.
The second half is a conspiratorial thriller of sorts, where Linney's on the run from the voting machine company's goons who want to silence her babbling about the glitch - so their stock options won't expire worthless. But the chase is weak, it's dragged out just to fill the second hour, and it's filled with plotholes.
Had Levinson made up his mind as to which film he was directing and stuck to it, the end product would have been stronger.
Recommended, but only for those few scenes where Williams effectively, comedically and righteously skewers the current corruption within Washingtonian politics.
This review of Man of the Year (1995) was written by Tonypolito on 21 Aug 2010.
Man of the Year has generally received mixed reviews.
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