Review of Man of the Year (2006) by Walter W — 02 Mar 2012

You'd think the actor-director team responsible for "Good Morning Vietnam" would create something better than this. And this film has the building blocks of a great political satire. Robin Williams owns the screen as a fast talking, larger-than-life comedian who runs for president. Other comedians shine in supporting roles as his entourage/campaign team. The scenes of team bonding on the campaign trail are some of the best in the film - these people have been working together for so long that they feel like a family. And when the political commentary comes in, it's as biting as "Wag The Dog". Electronic voting machines have replaced traditional voting methods nationwide, but they've malfunctioned, generating random results that have nothing to do with the real vote count. During one of the movie's scariest moments, the election is compared to "Wheel Of Fortune" - Americans have no control over what happens. With voting machiene malfunctions reported across the country over the last decade, this story seems terrifyingly real.

Sounds like a pretty good movie, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, director Barry Levinson makes the mistake of having a heronine who's absolutely unlikeable. Then he makes the even larger mistake of putting her in a romance with Robin Williams. And while Williams' comedic timing is impeccable, he simply isn't given anything very funny to say. Even worse, his terrible jokes are aparently extremely hilarious within the world of the movie. You watch his devoted fans laughing hysterically and wonder what movie they're watching.

Ultimately, this movie is a huge disappointment. It has so much to say and such a timely story to tell, but ultimately undermines itself into mediocrity.

Unfortunately.