Man of the Year

Man of the Year had potential but it fumbled the ball shortly after the opening credits. The premise was great. A Jon Stewart-like comedian runs for president. Fun stuff. With the impassioned speeches Stewart gives on The Daily Show, I bet many people have fantasized about this guy assuming the role of Commander in Chief. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see that much of the campaign or even the decision to run. It seems Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog) wants to bypass this stuff to get to this boring story of fixed elections and political intrigue. Yawn. Maybe that’s why the trailers for this movie revealed the fact that Williams wins the election. At least I was prepared for the sitcomy presidency that was done far better in the Kevin Kline film, Dave. And while I was disappointed with the bulk of the story, what bothered me more was the lukewarm dialogue given to the gifted comedians.

 To be perfectly honest, I don’t find Robin Williams all that funny. Give me Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock or Bill Cosby any day. I actually like Williams more when he plays serious roles in such films as Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. Williams also brings creepiness to a whole new level in such films as Insomnia and One Hour Photo. Maybe it’s because in those dramatic films, he is forced to slow down. His mile-a-minute manic rants have begun to bore me and come off as a little desperate. It’s like he needs to keep talking in case no one laughs. There have been a few Robin Williams comedies that still make me laugh, but only three come to mind: Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage and Good Morning Vietnam. The latter movie was able to incorporate his rants perfectly into his radio announcements. I don’t get that sense in Man of the Year. There are a couple of fun moments, but not enough to keep me laughing throughout. 

 What really made me cringe was watching gifted comic, Lewis Black spouting off lines that were only partially funny. If you didn’t know, The Daily Show has a recurring segment called Back in Black where Lewis Black rips into the latest trend found on the six o’clock news. His impassioned, angry, bitter sarcasm is a treat to watch and always makes me laugh. Too bad they didn’t tap into that brand of humour for Man of the Year. Black gets a few choice line but spends most of the film wondering if he’ll get to keep his writing job with Williams as president. It looked like Black was making a film he would have cruelly mocked in his own Back in Black segment. 

 In the film, Robin Williams makes an appearance on SNL’s Weekend Update, still hosted by Amy Poleher and Tina Fey. Watching that part of the movie not only dated the film but also made me miss Tina Fey’s presence on the struggling Saturday Night Live. But I digress. 

 So is Man of the Year worth your precious time? Not really. Should you rent it? Maybe, if you really like Robin Williams. I would suggest waiting for the film to show up as a movie of the week on network television. Or better yet, watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and just use your imagination. I guarantee you’d laugh a lot more.