Viewers beware. The trailers for director Barry Levinson's latest endeavor, "Man of the Year" would have you believe you're in for a fun, political satire. They'd have you believe the film will play out similar to a "Jon Stewart for Pres: 2008" campaign. They'd have you prepared for Robin Williams' comedy comeback. They're misleading.
Instead, what the audience really gets is two hours of a comedy-thriller-romance hybrid, where the man who brought us "Wag the Dog" attempts to please everyone, but falls flat, leaving loose ends within each unlikely plot line.
Framed within multiple glaring TV screen clips, "Man of the Year" awkwardly kicks off with manager Jack Menken (Christopher Walken, "Wedding Crashers") looking back on the presidential campaign of Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams, "The Night Listener"), a late-night comedian who is prompted to run for office by a member of his studio audience. From there, the film abruptly throws viewers onto the campaign trail with Dobbs and his team, as he rolls from city to city, laying into the pitfalls of party politics all along the way.
When Election Day finally rolls around, it seems highly unlikely that Dobbs will pull in enough of the vote to take the White House. So imagine the talk-show host's surprise when he takes New York. He takes North Carolina. He pulls in the electoral votes of the Lonestar State — and by the end of the night, he's greeted by the Secret Service as he becomes the country's newest President-elect. It all sounds too good to be true, right?
Exactly.
Enter Eleanor Green (Laura Linney, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"), a computer whiz who works for Delacroy Systems, a polling service being hailed as the grand solution to those pesky chad ballots and Florida recounts. That is, until Green discovers a minor glitch in the system that makes even a significant underdog emerge victorious in the polls. Not wanting to receive bad publicity, Green's bosses, played by Rick Roberts and Jeff Goldblum, quickly attempt to silence the malfunction, no matter what it takes. This leads into a strange political thriller subplot where the head honchos enlist henchmen to break into Green's apartment and shoot her up with drugs, somehow tap into her phone calls and tail her in large SUVs.
That said, those hoping "Man of the Year" would mark Williams' triumphant return to his full-fledged comedy roots after dabbling in the dramatic and creepy with "One Hour Photo" and "Insomnia," are in for a disappointment. With the exception of a rapid-fire TV debate scene, he merely goes through the motions. Williams delivers all the right punch lines in his quest against corruption in party politics (i.e.: "If you're representing special interest groups, maybe we should be like NASCAR with the little patches on the back: 'Enron: we'll take your money and run.'"), but he seems to be holding back.
The real comedic star is Walken, who plays Dobb's chain-smoking manager. The quirky actor steals the scenes with his impeccable timing and random, dry humor. Unable to kick his nicotine habit even after a heart attack, his character is quick to defend the behavior, detailing a rough childhood as a circus elephant caretaker and revealing he started lighting up at age seven ("What? My father smoked.").
Yet another (unintended) comedic twist comes in the romance between Williams' and Linney's characters. Mrs. Doubtfire and Kinsey's leading lady? Talk about an odd couple. The circumstances under which their attraction occurs only further contributes to the awkward pairing. He's the supposed president of the United States. She's a former programmer, who is not only deemed psychologically unstable and an alleged fan of cocaine cocktails by her former employer, but somehow manages to gain access to his victory party with a fake FBI badge and a suit.
With Levinson at the helm, a star-studded cast and humorous cameos by Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro and "Saturday Night Live" stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, "Man of the Year" had the potential for comedic greatness. However, it wound up a lukewarm combination somewhere between "The American President" and "The Manchurian Candidate." For those indecisive moviegoers seeking a few chuckles set amid some low-speed chases, this one's for you. Those interested in a well overdue Williams comedy, better luck next time. Looks like "Mrs. Doubtfire 2" is in production.
Grade: 2 out of 5 circles
