Head of State (2003)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Chris Rock

Writers (WGA):

Chris Rock (written by) &
Ali LeRoi (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The only thing white is the house.

Plot:

When a presidential candidate dies unexpectedly in the middle of the campaign, the Democratic party unexpectedly picks a Washington, D.C. alderman, Mays Gilliam (Rock) as his replacement .

Plot Keywords:

Party | Alderman | Washington D.C. | President | Homosexuality

Awards:

9 nominations

Cast

Chris Rock	...	Mays Gilliam
Bernie Mac	...	Mitch Gilliam
Dylan Baker	...	Martin Geller
Nick Searcy	...	Brian Lewis
Lynn Whitfield	...	Debra Lassiter
Robin Givens	...	Kim
Tamala Jones	...	Lisa Clark
James Rebhorn	...	Sen. Bill Arnot
Keith David	...	Bernard Cooper
Tracy Morgan	...	Meat Man
Stephanie March	...	Nikki
Robert Stanton	...	Advisor
Jude Ciccolella	...	Mr. Earl
Nate Dogg	...	Himself
Angie Mattson	...	Nate's girl

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug references.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Germany:6 | Ireland:15 | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39659)

Filming Locations:

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Rock got the idea for this story from the 1984 Geraldine Ferraro/Walter Mondale ticket, in which the democrats thought that since they had no chance of winning against Bush/Reagan, they might as well make a historic first so they can win support for the next election. So they ran Ferraro as the first ever woman vice president (they eventually lost).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mays gets picked up in the car he is soaking wet. Then when he gets out of the car his suit is completely dry.

Quotes:

Mays Gilliam: [shouts] Security!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Head of State (#10.4)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Who We Be

I wanted to like it

I'm a big Chris Rock fan and went in hoping for some good laughs. While there are a few laugh-out-loud moments, the majority of the movie was embarrassingly corny, over-the-top, and just simply bad. Bernie Mac ALMOST saved the movie but the writing was just so bad-- and I say that with all due respect to Chris Rock, who I think is one of the smartest and funniest guys around. It just didn't work. I wanted to enjoy it, wanted to laugh in all the right places, but it was a struggle and I found myself looking at my watch quite a few times, which is sad to say since it was only 90 minutes long. Maybe some will think this is a good movie and I must admit I've only seen Chris Rock in supporting roles, so maybe this is typical of a starring vehicle for him. I wish him better luck next time--I can't imagine this movie sustaining its #1 spot next weekend.