Review: A Vot of Apathy for Robin Williams Political Satire

Oct. 13, 2006 — -- We've seen plenty of "Jon Stewart for president" bumperstickers, and it would be fun to see a straight-talking, scathinglysatiric guy like him on the campaign trail against the usualsuspects.

Barry Levinson's "Man of the Year" aims for that scenario,though, funny as he is at times, Robin Williams in thecommentator-turned-candidate role is a lightweight, almost as emptya suit as the career politicians he's up against.

With a premise too absurd for belief even alongside 2000'sphoto-finish presidential election, "Man of the Year" becomes acampaign of character, relying mainly on its cast to see itthrough.

Luckily for writer-director Levinson, Williams and especiallyco-stars Laura Linney, Christopher Walken and Lewis Black deliverwell enough to keep the movie in the race, making viewers careabout these people more than the story merits.

The actor and filmmaker behind "Good Morning, Vietnam" team up againfor the story of Tom Dobbs, a political commentator who seems lessabout substance and more about the manic standup jabber on whichWilliams built his early career.

Williams' Tom is the comic host of a political talk show thatsupposedly tells it like a sick-and-tired electorate wants to hearit. We're led to understand that Tom's an insightful wit whoseassaults on Washington's power brokers have made him so beloved hisTV audience wildly cheers at his innocent comment about running forpresident himself.

The trouble with Levinson's screenplay is that Tom talks a lotbut doesn't say much. We essentially see Williams doing hisschtick, prattling in such a bluster that the mildly amusingmaterial sounds funnier than it is, with some generic politicallyrabble-rousing tidbits thrown in to establish him as a voice ofdissent, a title the character doesn't deserve.

Even so, Tom shakes up the establishment by jumping in as anindependent alternative to the bland Republican incumbent and theblander Democratic challenger. Though Tom polls like a respectablethird-party candidate, it's all meant as a lark and a reminder tothe real politicos that their job is to serve the American people.