When Jon Stewart announced that he and Stephen Colbert would not be running for office in 2008, many Americans lost a bit of hope for our country's future. Luckily Hollywood has provided a film that will ease the pain voters may be feeling.
Barry Levinson, the AU alumnus who also directed "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Rainman", makes the dreams of fans of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" come true. "Man of the Year" proposes the idea that the comedian sitting behind the desk in the studio can become the politician sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.
Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is told by an audience member right before his show that he should run for office. During that night's show he makes a comment that perhaps he should do just that, and mere hours later hundreds of thousands of e-mails come in telling Dobbs to run. This grassroots movement propels Dobbs down the campaign trail all the way to Election Day.
As if the jokes alone aren't enough to keep the audience entertained, "Man of the Year" also has drama and action sequences, including some great chase scenes. But despite the bits of drama dispensed among the laughs, the film never loses its lighthearted tone, and even the more serious scenes feature humor.
Chris Matthews, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler all make guest appearances in the film but Williams and Christopher Walken rule the spotlight. While the hilarious pair push the envelope, the lewd humor characteristic of Williams does not cross the line. They keep the audience laughing without making them cringe.
The average filmgoer expecting little more than a 108-minute version of "The Daily Show," filled with political humor and trash talking, will be pleasantly surprised to see that the movie is accompanied by much more. While the jokes certainly made fun of politicians, they did not pick on one particular party, but rather make punches at everyone.
Levinson keeps the film's plot balanced enough to please the hopefuls (those still walking around in their "Stewart-Colbert '08" T-shirts) and the skeptics (those who think it is ludicrous that a political comedian could ever be elected president). "Man of the Year" is a great film for anyone fed up with politicians, or politics in general, but just can't help following it.
