Head of State (2003)

When a presidential candidate dies unexpectedly in the middle of the campaign, Washington, D.C. alderman, Mays Gilliam is unexpectedly picked as his replacement.

Director:

Chris Rock

Writers:

Chris Rock, Ali LeRoi

Stars:

Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Lynn Whitfield

10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Senator Bill Arnot
Keith David	...	Bernard Cooper
Tracy Morgan	...	Meat Man
Stephanie March	...	Nikki
Robert Stanton	...	Advisor
Jude Ciccolella	...	Mr. Earl
Nate Dogg	...	Self
Angie Mattson	...	Nate's Girl

Storyline

One candidate for the presidency dies in an accident a couple of weeks before the election. Meanwhile the alderman Mays Gilliam becomes a hero when he rescues a woman and her cat from an old house that would blow up. However his fiancee Kim does not pay his bills and dumps him, and Gilliam loses everything including his fancy car. When Senator Bill Arnot sees the news on television, he plots a scheme with the party advisors Martin Geller and Debra Lassiter to invite Mays to be the party nominee and lose the election for the other candidate, Vice-President Brian Lewis. Four years later, he would be the candidate and would have the chance of winning the election. Mays has a terrible beginning of campaign but when his older brother Mitch Gilliam meets him in Chicago, he advises Mays to be himself. Will he have the chance to be the first African American President of the USA?

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Plot Keywords:

party | alderman | washington d.c. | presidential candidate | president | 

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Taglines:

The only thing white is the house.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Head of State

Filming Locations:

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,503,484, 30 March 2003

Gross USA:

$38,125,247

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,620,484

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, 3 Arts Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Rock got the idea for this story from the 1984 Walter Mondale/Geraldine A. Ferraro ticket, in which the Democrats thought that since they had no chance of winning against Ronald Reagan/George Bush, 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 candidate for their party (and lost).

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Goofs

The car cannot be towed the way it was (with its rear wheels on the ground) since there was no way for them to release the hand-brake - the only possibility would be lifting the car and towing it on a platform truck.

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Quotes

Klansman: Hi, I'm a Klansman. I hate niggers, Jews, and fags, but I love Bryan Lewis!
[Cuts To Video Tape Of Osama Bin Laden]
Osama Bin Laden: Yo yo wassup I'm Osama Bin Laden. I hate America but I love Bryan Lewis.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, it lists many famous politicians, then in parenthesis it says "(Are not in this movie)".

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Connections

Referenced in Real Time with Bill Maher: Episode #14.35 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Too Hot to Stop (Part 1)
Written by James Alexander, Charles Allen, Michael Edward Beard (as Michael Beard), Larry Dodson (as Larry Dodson), Fred Freeman, Harvey Joe Henderson (as Harvey Henderson), Harry Nehls, Lloyd Ed Smith (as Lloyd Smith), Winston Allen Stewart (as Winston Stewart) & Frank Thompson (as Frank Thompson)
Performed by The Bar-Kays
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

recycled formula

Back in the late 70's and through the early 80's, Richard Pryor made a string of formulaic type movies, the formula being a street-wise black man is unexpectedly placed in a position of great responsibility or privilege for which he is totally unprepared: (Silver Streak, Brewster's Millions, Critical Condition, Bustin Loose). Inevitably, the hero not only succeeds in his newfound role, but excels, all thanks to his streetwise background, which allowed him to confound the numerous white people in these movies who were either thick-headed or cruel mercenaries. This formula, not surprisingly, ran out of gas before Pryor's health started to go downhill, just like the Elvis movie formula did. It was all very unfortunate, because it repackaged Pryor, a true hardcore radical comedian into a middle of the road movie star palatable to a broad based audience. He never reclaimed what he had lost, and neither did Elvis. "Head of State" recycles the same Richard Pryor formula, only updating it to a hip-hop fed generation. Chris Rock plays the Richard Pryor -type character, a Washington DC alderman who catches the attention of Democratic party headquarters as an innovative replacement candidate for the nominee who dies in a plane crash only weeks before the general election. The overall effect is the same watered-down comedy that the RP movies left me with. The backroom cunning and maneuvering is all supposed to look very devious, and Chris Rock turns it all to his advantage, outsmarting the professional politicians at every turn.

The attempted humor in this movie left me cold and annoyed. There were joking references to the assassination of Malcolm X and JonBenet Ramsey that I guess were supposed to make me laugh. They didn't, and nothing, absolutely nothing, in this movie did. The slapping, punching, and assault & battery incidents are continuous and an assault on the senses. Someone has been watching a lot of 3 Stooges. Robin Givens plays a disgruntled ex-girlfriend of the candidate who is repeatedly victimized. In light of her experiences with Mike Tyson, this seems to hit a new low in bad taste. Rock speechifies in his presidential debate scene on the benefits of knocking children in the head when they misbehave, and receives a standing ovation. Not funny.

The problem with a watered-down movie is that it always hedges its bets, flip-flopping between earthy comedy and the serious tones. This movie, which actually has an interesting premise, would have been a lot better if it had gone way over the top, and not pandered to any sense of reality or decorum, like say for example, "Animal House." Put Chris Tucker or Ice-T in the candidate role, with no attempt to be loved by the audience. Bring the 'hood to the White House, and rename it the Black House. Load it with sex, drugs, rock & roll, and FUN!

I couldn't help but feel cynical about the Hollywood establishment's political vendetta associated with this movie. Chris Rock's opponent has an identifiable Texas twang, is personally venemous and slow-witted. Sound familiar? This same establishment will also back liberal governors and senators with expensive haircuts, but has never seriously gotten behind a black presidential candidate. I guess if you produce a movie about it instead of making it happen, that excuses you.