I try to approach every movie-going experience as a blank slate, and as I watch I wait for that moment when the movie shifts from neutral ground to either side of the spectrum. Sometimes that moment comes early on in the movie and sometimes I find myself reserving judgment until the end, but this weekend I had the rare experience of walking out the theater lacking any definitive decision. For those of you who have seen Man of the Year, this may not come as a surprise since the movie itself is the definition of indecision.
In his most recent role, Robin Williams plays late night talk show host Tom Dobbs, who does not know if he is a comedian or a serious politician in a movie that does not know if it is a comedy, thriller, or political commentary.
The audience is first introduced to Dobbs-the-comedian, but when a casual suggestion by an audience member sparks an Internet frenzy, Dobbs the comedian transforms into Dobbs the respectable political candidate. But this serious persona is short lived and Dobbs quickly realizes that his only route to the White House is paved with unconventional policies and outrageous wit.
So far so good, right? That’s what I thought, but apparently writer/director Barry Levinson had something else in mind. Enter Eleanor Green (Laura Linney), a woman whose intelligence and curiosity lead her to discover a glitch in a new computerized voting system developed by her employers, Delacroy. Unable to decide what to do with this information, Eleanor sets in motion a sequence of events that not only threatens her life but also the success of this movie.
This is not to say that Man of the Year is a complete disappointment; it does have a lot of good ingredients. In spite of a script that can only be described as a comedic tease, Williams' delivery proves that he is still one of Hollywood’s most talented comedians. And the more suspenseful scenes were made almost bearable by the exceedingly creepy performance of Jeff Goldblum, who plays a devious and almost sinister Delacroy lawyer. But good ingredients only make for a good recipe when they complement one another, and the many ingredients of Man of the Year, while at times enjoyable, fail to do so and the end result is lacking.
Article comments
1 - Ty
The bait and switch REALLY bothers me here. The ads/trailers suggest a comedy, but it turns out to be a wannabe conspiracy thriller. In fact the ads/trailer only show stuff from the beginning of the movie.
AND from the ads/trailer, you think Laura Linney's character is his wife/GF from the get go, but not so!
Thank god this SHAM didn't open at #1, hopefully the dismal turnout in week 2 will show everyone that this movie sucks.
2 - Lisa McKay
Nice review, Liz. I have to admit that my curiousity about this movie has been piqued by all the reviews I've read, but I'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD to see it. Enough people have disliked it to make me reconsider spending the big bucks at the box office.