Man of the Year

I enjoy good political satire as much as anyone, but this just misses. The jokes are pretty stale and predictable, I think I only chuckled a couple of times. I think Robin Williams has reached a point where he is much more enjoyable in a serious role (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet's Society) and not nearly as successful at comedic movies. Did you see RV? Seriously, I would rather watch real politicians have a debate, you are bound to get more laughs. Is there anything funnier than watching W try to pronounce 'nuclear'? Save your money on this one, you don't want to walk out of the theater wondering if The Marine would have been a better choice.

source: Man of the Year

As I was viewing the comments here, I couldn't help but get the feeling that some of these posters never have even seen the movie in the first place. "Man of the Year" is a timely light comedy that brings back the Robin Williams sense of humor that we haven't seen in a long time. Christopher Walken and Louis Black team up with Williams to weave a very funny story with some scenes even making me laugh out loud. Yep, I laughed out loud, when's the last time you did that? Anyway, see the film, have a laugh and come back and tell me I'm right or wrong, but don't be fooled by the evil beings that so often ruin movies for others out of pure spite. BTW Have the courtesy to see a film before bashing it.....I liked it and I'll bet most of you that aren't so jaded that you've forgotten to laugh will like it too. I saw it on a date and it was the perfect date movie.

I am pretty surprised to see that this movie earned even lukewarm reviews, I found this movie downright awful. The plot flounders around trying to decide if it is a comedy or a thriller, then realizes it cannot achieve either. So it throws in the towel and continues with its absurd plot highlighted with a unintentional hilarious scene with Laura Linney, an injection, and spilled coffee that leaves the audience awkwardly squirming in their seats looking at one another like is this for real? Basically it is abysmal and really disappointing for Robin Williams fans, and it makes you think someone blackmailed Laura Linney into adding this piece of trash to her otherwise respectable resume. I wanted to leave after 10 minutes and wish I had, even seeing it for free I wanted someone to pay me for my wasted time. The computer glitch/twist in this movie was embarrassingly stupid, and by the end you don't care who wins the election. I vote for straight to DVD.

The premise of this movie, of a comedian talk show host running for president as an independent just to shake things up, is funny, entertaining, brilliant and even a bit inspiring. (thought about the west wing debate when Tom Dobbs leaves his podium, thought about Steven Colbert announcing his candidacy, good times) The first 15 - 20 minutes of this movie are therefore very very entertaining, the debate especially. When he eventually get's elected, it's a pity that is because of a computer glitch, you'd want him to win fair (although that is unrealistic). But after that this movie goes completely downhill. I thought we'd get a great movie like 'Dave' (1993) in which we see how it would out if a comedian actually ran the country. Instead, the movie turns from comedy into a thriller, a romantic comedy and a drama and does none good. The computer glitch becomes the main storyline, which really sucks. Boy is this disappointing. I give it 3 stars just for the premise and because I actually managed to watch this movie from start to end without stopping it, which is usually a good thing with me.

We start all of our reviews with the following information. My wife and I have seen nearly 100 movies per year for the past 15 years. Recently, we were honored by receiving lifetime movie passes to any movie any time at no cost! So we can see whatever we want whenever we want. The point of this is that CRITICS count for ZERO. Your local critics or the national critics like Ebert are really no different than you or me. The only difference is that they get to write about the movie and are forced to see hundreds of movies whether they want to or not.Therefore, it is our belief that if you get your monies worth for two hours of enjoyment that is good enough for us! We NEVER EVER listen or read the critics. We only care about our friends and those who we know like the same things as us. Well enough about that. Robin Williams with Barry Levinson's script is simply fantastic. The movie is very very funny. However, what I also got out of it is that we are destined to be screwed again as Congress has refused to give each and every voter a receipt for the vote. How can it possibly not have been changed in six years. The movie will show you how easy it is for the electronic machines to be manipulated by ONE person so as to change the outcome of the election. It is scary in the hands of Karl Rove and the administration who have gotten away with it since 1998 and the defeat of Max Clelland.

I saw a screening of this movie last night. I had high expectations going into it, but was definitely disappointed. Within 5 minutes of the opening, Williams is already campaigning for his presidency. And he becomes president in the first 40 minutes. So there goes all that aspect of the movie. The first half hour are hilarious. Don't get me wrong, the movie has its moments. But after the first half hour, it takes a turn for the worst. It becomes less of a comedy, and more of a thriller/drama/love story...which is pointless. the movie goes nowhere and stands still for a good 30 minutes. there are laughs interspersed here and there, but the consistently funny part is in the beginning and only the beginning. at one point, the biggest cheer i heard in the audience is when a person in the crowd yelled 'boooo' during a very confusingly emotional scene. Williams gives a great performance, right on par with his comedic style. Walken also delivers a strong supporting role as only he can. I think the one character that goes underrated is Lewis Black. Consistently vulgar and political, its funny to see him tone it down for a PG-13 rating. Overall, I would not pay to see the movie. Afterall, I saw it for free and even I was disappointed. The first half hour is solid, and its all downhill from there. Not really fitting into a category, the movie realizes half way through that it should not have been anything more than a one-hour comedy central special. 4.5/10

Robin Williams as President elect, Tom Dobbs, could not have played the part any better. As a fan of the upcoming genre of Comedy News, character Tom Dobbs does an excellent job telling the political view point as we see it as common Americans. The movie as a whole was truly a roller-coaster of events. The beginning builds up to a climax, then its all down hill as events destabilize the plot for short periods of time, tosses your emotions around through barrel rolls of comedy and drama, and manages to re-assemble the story for a nice clean cut ending. I recommend Man of the Year to all Williams fans, and Comedy/Sit-Com. fans, alike.

Robin Williams is a genius. One of the best comedians in the world. He really shows off in this one, cracking jokes left and right as the talk show comedian Tom Dobbs. From the previous this looked like it would be a side-splitting laugh fest. And it was funny. But there were a lot of serious parts in the movie that I was not expecting. I would describe it as a drama/comedy. But it's still worth the money to see, and I still found it to be almost everything that I expected. Robin Williams is at his best, along with the famous Christopher Walken. They play a very good team in this movie and I was actually shocked to see how well the two were able to work together. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light-hearted movie.

A political satire of a comedian (Williams) who after dissing the political campaigns and presidents is forced into the running. But shockingly we wins and makes a mockery of the office. "Man of the Year" is not the funniest movie nor the best but in small doses it does work. Williams again teaming with Levinson after a hit with "Good Morning, Vietnam". The two seem to have a great chemistry and work off each other. I am not comparing them to Scorsese and DeNiro but you can get the picture. Although I wouldn't quite say to rush out there and see the movie in theaters I would recommend renting it. This movie is a comedy but also has a great satire, please if you like movies like "Scary Movie 4" this is not for you, take your brain with you to see it. - ***