Man of the Year (2006)

Robin Williams steals the show in Man of the Year, a comedic look at the Presidential election process. He plays a talk show host (along the lines of Colbert) that throws out to his audience one day jokingly that he should run for the Presidency. Overwhelming support floods in, and he not only gets on the ballot, but also a spot at the debate, giving his third party candidacy legitimacy. Then, by way of a computer programming glitch, he ends up winning the election. It then becomes a question of what to do for an encore.

While Man of the Year is definitely a comedy, there is clearly a serious side here. Many Americans, ahem, myself included, are, shall we say disenchanted with our political process? There are themes of special interests, political favors, election vote counts and congressional term limits as an undercurrent throughout the film. The scene portraying the Presidential Debate with Robin Williams going into one of his signature tirades is destined to be one of his classic Hollywood moments.

While fans of Williams' work will especially enjoy Man of the Year, anyone looking for an irreverent and humorous look at the current state of American politics will enjoy this film.

Overall Grade: B+