Man of the Year (Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney) – I’ll see Robin Williams in any movie he’s in. RV was not his best and this one is only a shade better. The movie works when Williams is doing his stand-up act and doesn’t when it alternates between comedy and political drama. The formula here doesn’t really work. The convenient plot devices are too implausible. And the outcome is predetermined. It’s a surprisingly meandering movie for Barry Levinson, the Academy Award-winning director of Rain Man plus Avalon, Wag the Dog, Disclosure, Tin Men, and Good Morning Vietnam. Linney is the best part of the movie (no surprise), but the relationship between her computer programmer character and Williams’ comedy show host turned presidential candidate is too contrived. If Levinson and Williams knew which movie they were making – situation comedy with political overtones or dramady with serious repercussions – the outcome would have been better. If you love Williams’ at his stand-up best, you’ll enjoy about 30 minutes of this flick.
Popcorn And Ponies
Movies and Horse Racing with Cliff Gold
