MAN OF THE YEAR

[Moviefan02000]

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/man_of_the_year/manoftheyear_posterbig.jpg

Synopsis: "Acerbic performer Tom Dobbs has made his career out of skewering politicians and giving a voice to the exasperated nation on his television show. He unleashed scathing jabs at a fractured system night after night -- until he came up with the mother of all comic ideas: why not run for president himself? After a flip comment, Dobbs ignites a grassroots movement which puts him on the ballot. Hot on the campaign trail, he debates elected drones and says exactly what frustrated voters have often thought. Against all odds, he wins -- only to learn a computer voting error gave him the victory. With time running out, Dobbs faces a big question: should he return to television or stay in the Oval Office?"

Directed by: Barry Levinson (RAIN MAN).

Starring: Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Jeff Goldblum, and Lewis Black.

Screenplay by: Barry Levinson (DINER).

MPAA Rating: "PG-13," for language including some crude sexual references, drug related material, and brief violence.

Feature Running Time: 115 minutes.

Release Date: October 13th, 2006.

Distributed by: Universal Pictures.

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/man_of_the_year/robin_williams/man2.jpg

[ilovemovies]

"Politicians should be changed frequently like diapers and for the same reasons" :D


This movie looks HILARIOUS! I can't wait to see it! I LOVE Robin Williams. Glad to see him back to comedy after some darker movies.

[MadsenOMC]

There is so much potential here for a good dark comedy about modern politics, but the PG-13 rating and the trailer lead me to believe that this plays it way too safe and ultimately will be nothing more than a fluffy and bland mainstream comedy.

[DareDevil]

IMO this doesn't even look as funny as Head of State. Walken has to stop doing these pay cheque movies.

[thedudeman69]

This looks like Dave. You know? a simple dude becomes president. Hell, I am half expecting the evil vice president in Dave to appear in this. Although, it has Willams' "I am on crack" comedy style, it doesn't do it for me if I see it almost every comedy he is in.

[ilovemovies]

Originally posted by DareDevil
IMO this doesn't even look as funny as Head of State. Walken has to stop doing these pay cheque movies.


I thought Head of State sucked. Chris Rock is a funny guy but he's a terrible director.

[DareDevil]

I didn't think Head of state was good either, but like i said it looks funnier than this.

[jackson13]

I cant wait for this movie, I love Robin and it looks hilarious.

That said, I watched Hardball tonight on MSNBC because Robin and Barry Levinson were on, and some dumb cunt asked a question, and while asking the question, she gave away the end of the movie. So now I'm pissed about that.


I'm still going to see the movie, but it really sucks having the ending ruined.

[chinton]

bizzare that it's being advertised as a comedy.

[dman476]

Originally posted by chinton
bizzare that it's being advertised as a comedy.
It's not? :confused:
If so, then I'm not watching it.

The only reason I wanted to watch it was because I wanted to watch a comedy.

[Quigles]

Originally posted by dman476
It's not? :confused:
If so, then I'm not watching it.

The only reason I wanted to watch it was because I wanted to watch a comedy.
Yeah, I heard it's more of a thriller/drama with comedic moments.... WTF?

That kills any desire I have to see the film.

[dman476]

Originally posted by Quigles3000
Yeah, I heard it's more of a thriller/drama with comedic moments.... WTF?

That kills any desire I have to see the film.
Yeah, that's kind of the vibe I got from the review on comingsoon.net.
Pity, as I was hoping to like it, and finally see a comedy in theaters.
Unless Chinton says it's so amazingly good that I must watch, I'm skipping this. :(

[Duke Nukem]

I really wanted to be able to like this movie, because of Robin Williams. I am aware of his political views, they are different from mine, I hate politics, I hate movies with political propaganda, blah-blah-blah, but I thought they might turn this movie the right way. I hoped they would know better and play fair by taking shots at both parties, creating twice as many possible jabs and zingers. After all, playing one-sided isn't fair and is very cheap on the filmmakers. Buuuuut, it doesn't look like the movie is going down as expected. They could have made a good, funny movie about a comedian becoming President. It appears they have blown it.

[Strider]

Despite such talented, funny actors like Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, and Lewis Black, Man of the Year doesn't look funny in the slightest. The trailer made the film seem like a bore. Unless I get a free ticket, I'll wait for the DVD.

Strider

[chinton]

dman

I don't plan on seeing it. I just have no desire. After all, I can just Wag The Dog again.

[dman476]

Originally posted by chinton
dman

I don't plan on seeing it. I just have no desire. After all, I can just Wag The Dog again.
Ah, okay. I was just under the impression that you saw the film (how did you know it isn't a comedy?).

[MadsenOMC]

POTENTIAL SPOILERS



Other reviews, like AICN's, mention that this is not a comedy and is in fact ultimately a drama about a woman who works for a company that is reponsible for faulty voting machines, which is how Williams wins in the first place. Apparently she must decide whether or not to come forward with the truth.

[chinton]

other people who had seen it at work

[dman476]

Originally posted by MadsenOMC
POTENTIAL SPOILERS



Other reviews, like AICN's, mention that this is not a comedy and is in fact ultimately a drama about a woman who works for a company that is reponsible for faulty voting machines, which is how Williams wins in the first place. Apparently she must decide whether or not to come forward with the truth.
Interesting...it sounds really bland.

Originally posted by chinton
other people who had seen it at work
Ah, I understand.

[Vong]

Just came back from seeing the movie. Gotta say it was great! Loved the story, and despite what critics said about the humour, there still was plenty of it in the movie.

I definately wasn't expecting a comedy seeing this movie, and no one should. Looking back to the other films Barry Levinson has made, such as Good Morning, Vietnam, you know it will be a blend of humor and drama. There was one part of the movie that also scared the shit out of me. To those who saw it, you know what I'm talking about...

Definately a worthwhile watch to anyone looking for a good sit through movie that makes you think about how politics and the corporate world interact and work hand in hand, especially during election time.

It had a slow beginning, but I found it really picked up after the first 10 minutes.

Props to Williams for keeping it real. And congrats on Lewis Black for doing an awesome job!

8.5/10

[TylerDurden182]

Why is Barry Levinson making shit lately? I mean, he was never that good, but he is better than this and Envy.

[bigred760]

Originally posted by thedudeman69
This looks like Dave. You know? a simple dude becomes president. Hell, I am half expecting the evil vice president in Dave to appear in this. Although, it has Willams' "I am on crack" comedy style, it doesn't do it for me if I see it almost every comedy he is in.

I don't see how this looks like Dave. That movie was about a president look-a-like who has to take over when the prez is in a coma. Man of the Year is about a comedian who get elected to the president. Don't see any similarities other than it's about the presidency.

I'm looking forward to this; I really liked Good Morning, Vietnam and this looks like it's along the same comedic lines. I'm also a fan of Jon Stewart and I'd like to see a scenario where someone like that runs for president. Should be a good time.

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by bigred760
I don't see how this looks like Dave. That movie was about a president look-a-like who has to take over when the prez is in a coma. Man of the Year is about a comedian who get elected to the president. Don't see any similarities other than it's about the presidency.

I'm looking forward to this; I really liked Good Morning, Vietnam and this looks like it's along the same comedic lines. I'm also a fan of Jon Stewart and I'd like to see a scenario where someone like that runs for president. Should be a good time.
Apparently according to one reviewer, this is more Jay Leno that Jon Stewart, and Levinson apparently gave in to studio demands to make it more of a comedy, than balance it well with the drama (like Good Morning, Vietnam). Oh, well, I'll still check it out on DVD.

[veddhead83]

Quickie Review ( +/- )

***No Major SPOILERS***

This film plays more as a drama than a comedy. I expected more laughs and a harder rating - PG-13 come on Hollywood, show some guts. Christopher Walken stood out the most. I figured this to be better than it actually was.

[bigred760]

My review of Man of the Year:

This movie is basically a way for Robin Williams to show that he's still funny. It is a funny movie, but it throws in some intrigue, a little drama, and a little love angle that gets lost when Williams goes into funny mode. The intrigue: Laura Linney is being chased by her boss because she's a threat to her company's success. The drama: she's trying to get to newly elected comedian Robin Williams and tell him the company's dirty little secret. I'm sure you can guess where the love angle comes in, though it's not a big part of the movie. It does get get a little tense, and it plays out well in the movie - but it loses itself once Williams gets going.

It's also a movie that criticizes (by making fun of, of course) the election process in our country. Robin Williams going nuts at a political debate - funny; Williams responding to accusations by his opponents - funny; and Williams discussing a "scandal" at a press conference - funny. It's basically Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, Letterman (or Williams playing these type of personalities) playing themselves as political candidates.

The movie is helped along by the likes of Christopher Walken and Lewis Black as Williams' entourage and their presence is also welcomed as they help the film's comedy. If you like Robin Williams and his brand of humor, or if you think the election process and the stereotypical nonsense that goes with it is a joke - you should have no problem enjoying this movie to at least some extent. It's nothing special or groundbreaking, but it's a funny movie with some pretty good shots at politics.

6/10

[RandalGraves]

I never got around to seeing this, but I'm gonna prolly blind buy it when the dvd comes out

[ilovemovies]

Wow. I had read that this movie wasn't really much of a comedy, but I wasn't really expecting what I got still. While I did laugh a little here and there, this was DEFINATELY NOT a comedy at all! I was really genuinly surprised how straight they play most of this. And then the movie also turns into a bit of a thriller with Laura Linney's character being discredited and then followed by people in her company who want to shut her up. My problem with this is that if they were going to do this then they should have went further with it. They should have gone all the way in making this into a political thriller.

Still, despite the fact that they really fucked up in the marketing of this movie, I enjoyed it for the most part. Robin Williams, Laura Linney and Christopher Walken all gave solid performances. The only questionable performance in the movie was from Jeff Goldblum. I couldn't tell if he was playing this for laughs or if he was playing it straight and trying to be kinda menacing. The result was he was neither.

[BorderEevilIII]

*CHIMES IN*






*MAY GO INTO SPOILERS!*









"Man Of The Year" is indeed a comedy (I Mean) Comedy/Thriller..........
why Thriller?!? Okay, WIlliams plays a Jon Stewart like character and one episode that he was taping an audience member suggests that he should run for president. WELL...... I was thinking of Arnie and the Tonight Show episode when he announced on that he too running for Governor that is.
So not to go too much into the story and blah blah blah.
Laura Linney works for this company called "DelaCroy" a company that makes those touch screen voting machines that elminates the traditional paper ballots and is destined to be the wave of the future of voting.
Linney notices there is a glitch in the system that eventually gets WIlliams elected. Her boss and Jeff Goldblum tries to downplay the problems DelaCroy is indeed doing so they feel that Linney is goin to be threat to the future of "DelaCroy" do the utmost thinkable to shut her up. So this is the THRILLER ANGLE of the movie.
The movies mood shifts when it goes back and forth with Williams & Linney.
Was nice to see the Williams I know with the witty one liners he would normally say stand up cuz I laughed my ass off. Robin & Laura eventually cross paths so I will not go further.
Also nice to see Lewis Black, another comedian in a supporting role.
Good thing I went to see this cuz "poof" it went out of the theater I saw it at.
I look foward to seeing it again when it hits DVD!

[Moveindyfan7]

I saw this movie and i thought it was really really good! In a time where our country is still being run by a fictitous president, a movie like this one is right on! Hopefully more of you will go out and see it, although it is at times unrealistic, it still provides a what if? and makes you think about where our country is going and what it would be like to finally step outside of the box.

[thedamnwolfman]

Am I the only person that felt like this movie aimed high but shot low. I spent the whole movie waiting for it to be funnythough to be fair I had a few chuckles. And the Whole evil corporation deal A) reeked of ‘Antitrust’ B) seemed kind of shoe horned into the movie. In a movie about “what ifs” it was the least believable part. I guess I was expecting a “King Ralph” and got a half baked/well financed SNL skit. Honestly I would have rather paid to see Lewis Black do some stand up. All in all this movie was a big fat disappointment. Maybe i'm not liberal enough. Damn it Hot Fuzz needs to hurry up.

[dreamcurls]

I still like Robin Williams. And I love Chris Walken.
but IMO this movie looks dumb, I just picture a bunch a lame one-liners that try to pull the movie along. . . . I have no desire to see this at all.