Apparently, The Marine wasn’t screened for critics, so we’re forced to review the reviews of Man of the Year instead. This is shaping up to be a huge PR day for Jon Stewart, who is mentioned almost as many times as the film’s actual star, Robin Williams (pictured, center). The critics tend to agree that the tone of the film is uneven (”It’s hard to balance a scene of Williams addressing Congress in a George Washington get-up against somebody literally being run down by a truck,” writes The Arizona Republic’s Bill Muller) and that Williams’ character, a TV pundit-turned-presidential candidate, is simply not that hysterical. ”Many actors were paid to pretend Williams is still funny in Man of the Year,” is how St. Paul Pioneer Press critic Chris Hewitt puts it.
Most people are wondering where the film went wrong, and the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips explains the leading theory as well as anyone: ”Writer-director Barry Levinson’s dispiriting oddball of a project features all sorts of people you’d love to watch in a really good Levinson film, from Laura Linney to Christopher Walken (pictured, right) to Jeff Goldblum to Lewis Black (left)… But what does it say when the best gag in a movie about contemporary politics and voter cynicism concerns the TV show JAG? It says, I think, that Levinson is nervous about muddying his mainstream effort with anything touchy.” To offer more would just be redundant. And too painful.
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I feel bad for writing this especially after what Robin Williams just went through recently but THIS MOVIE IS GONNA SUCK!
What is it with Robin Williams and his cheesy movies?! I’m no actor and have no clue about scrips but if I were to have read this one I would have run the other way. It’s the same with the motor home movie he did and Patch Adams and all other movies RW has done. PLAYED OUT!
I’m almost embarrest for him, wait scratch that, I AM EMBARREST FOR HIM!
Robin Williams may have made some poor choices, but I bet he can spell “embarrassed.”
I feel bad for Robin (not that I’m a huge fan or anything, but he’s been around forever), but think this movie will tank and I’m hoping that won’t sink him into another drinking/rehab episode. It’s because he is the lead actor, and let’s face it, to the youngsters of today, he’s irrelevant as a comic (they like the Jack Blacks and Adam Sandlers for comedy). And the “older” audience may be kinda tired of his Robin-ranting-same-as-usual stick . At this point in his career, he should take support or character parts. Why is it actors think they have to be the LEAD forever?!! They have TONS of moola already and fame, so they should think more in terms of “next phase in my career” and how to transition into smaller parts.
Oh and in case anyone disputes his relevance…almost 3 hours later and there’s only 4 postings on this. Enough said.
Stay with the darker material, Robin. Put the comedy into a chest, lock it up tightly and push it deep back into your closet, not to be disturbed until you’re at least 80 years old and can safely step back into that genre due to the nostalgic revery you’re sure to draw from audiences who have grown old with you.
Alas, when we watch you now we know you’re a man whose constantly battling personal demons and so the comedy you produce these days always seems to be inundated with a solemn sense of desperation and unease as if you’re merely going through the motions in an attempt to simulate what once was a brilliant comedic career.
Now going dark doesn’t mean you have to pick the god-awful non-comedy movies you’ve been assaulting the movie chains with lately. Have some common sense about it, man. ‘One Hour Photo’, good. ‘Final Cut’, horrible..you should have seen that one coming a mile away.
In the future I think the best course for a man of your genre-transcending prowess would be to play roles that show you’re not afraid to walk away from the teddy-bear image people have of you. Perhaps choose a role of that of a drug-addled, hardened pimp that really whoops his ho’s good when the counts off and gets off on injecting crystal meth into his neck. Or maybe you could try playing a necrophiliac coroner who just can’t get enough sex with dead women. I envision you in a scene where a car crash victim who was once a petite blonde woman is brought into the morgue literally in pieces. Surveying the body, you immediately become aroused yet due to the lack of any genitalia being recovered from the crash site, you take your scalpel and carve out a six-inch deep hole in what was once the woman’s leg. Satisfied that the orifice appears accomadating enough, you quickly begin getting your rocks off with this ghastly appendage right there on the solid steel viewing table. Perhaps the movie can conclude with your co-star Matt Damon unexpectedly popping into the room and catching you going to town on some lady’s corpse. I see a confrontation erupting in which Matt Damon finally embraces you and reassures you that “It isn’t your fault” to which you immediately erupt into tears amid the realization that your father never loved you.
i liked this movie much more when it was bulworth.
Chip – LOL!
Looks like you have less to do than I.
Liked this headline from my city’s paper:
Man Bites, But lt’s A Dog
Robin Williams is a great actor and not just in comedies. He won an award for “Good Will Hunting” which was not a comedy by any means. A list of great movies he has been in:
Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire, Toys, Robots, Bicentenial Man, Good Will Hunting, Aladdin, Jack, Awakenings, The Fisher King, Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, What Dreams May Come, Dead Poets Society, and the Birdcage, just to name a few! He is a great actor and all actors make bad chioces sometimes…to err is human!
I do actually look forward to this movie as it looks quite humorous. I’m not looking for the meaning of life in every movie I watch!
I saw the movie and despite it being “two movies” I found Williams at times to actually be funny unlike how he has been seen in the movie RV. I just think the movie had an identity crisis on whether to be a comedy or a serious drama. While I agree that the movie seemed to restrain a lot of political satire, I think it makes a point that the basically we are just sick not necessarily of the different ideologies, but the way politicians present themselves and are covered by the media. I wish they had gone further to press that point home.