New DVD Releases : Man of the Year (2006)

Synopsis
To make waves on the campaign trail, a late-night political talkshow host runs for president--only to have his prank backfire when he actually wins the election.

Starring : Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum
Director : Barry Levinson
Producers : Robert N. Fried, Barry Levinson, James G. Robinson
Screenwriters : Barry Levinson


Review
Remember when CNN's Larry King prodded Ross Perot to run for president in 1992 against George Bush and Bill Clinton? In the unexpectedly straight-faced Man of the Year, Jon Stewart-ish fake TV newsman Tom Dobbs (Williams) makes a similar White House run at a fan's urging. And the sharp-tongued, finger-pointing political satirist wins. But think again if you next expect director/writer Barry Levinson—the brains behind Wag the Dog—to explore the comic possibilities of a president trying to run the country without Democratic or Republican support. Instead, Levinson's stupidity turns Man of the Year into an overwrought cautionary tale about e-voting. See, a computer voting error accidentally manipulated the results in Dobbs' favor. But rather than examine the fallout of a tainted election, Man of the Year quickly and preposterously goes from The Candidate to Enemy of the State. Levinson unwisely shifts his attention to the woman responsible for discovering the glitch in her company's electronic voting system. While the president-elect makes public appearances dressed as George Washington, Eleanor Green (Laura Linney) discovers that her bosses will do anything—including resorting to violence—to stop her from going public for fear the scandal would bankrupt their company.

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