Man of the Year (2006)

A comedian who hosts a news satire program decides to run for president, and a computerized voting machine malfunction gets him elected.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Barry Levinson

Stars:

Robin Williams, Laura Linney, Lewis Black

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Tom Dobbs
Christopher Walken	...	Jack Menken
Laura Linney	...	Eleanor Green
Lewis Black	...	Eddie Langston
Jeff Goldblum	...	Stewart
David Alpay	...	Danny
Faith Daniels	...	Moderator
Tina Fey	...	Tina Fey
Amy Poehler	...	Amy Poehler
Doug Murray	...	Mathias
Chris Matthews	...	News Anchor #1
James Carville	...	Political Commentator #1
Catherine Crier	...	Political Commentator #2
Rick Roberts	...	Hemmings
Karen Hines	...	Alison McAndrews

Storyline

Tom Dobbs, comedic host of a political talk show - a la Bill Maher and Jon Stewart - runs for President of the US as an independent candidate who, after an issues-oriented campaign and an explosive performance in the final debate, gets just enough votes to win. Trouble is he owes his victory to a computer glitch in the national touch-screen voting system marketed by Delacroy, a private company with a rising stock price. To protect their fortune, Delacroy executives want to keep the glitch a secret, but one programmer, Eleanor Green, wants Dobbs to know the truth. Can she get to him?

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Plot Keywords:

presidential candidate | first lady | man wears eyeglasses | president | presidential election | 

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Taglines:

From the director of RAIN MAN and GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language including some crude sexual references, drug related material, and brief violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Man of the Year

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,299,380, 15 October 2006

Gross USA:

$37,327,390

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,472,472

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming, actress Laura Linney was also starring in Breach (2007), the fictional film based on the real accounts of former F.B.I. agent Robert Hanssen, who committed the greatest security breach in U.S. history. Both films were shot in Canada at the same time, and Linney would split her week, acting for two to three day stretches on each film set.

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Goofs

When Eleanor is in her hotel room, "Wheel Of Fortune" is playing on her TV, you can hear the contestant say, she wants the letter "S", the host then says "Yeah, there are two of them" and then when there is a close up of the TV, you can clearly see there are three S's on the board.

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Quotes

Tom Dobbs: Why *vote* for Congressmen or Senators? Why don't we just pick those guys the same way we pick a jury? At least we'll get a much more interesting cross-section.

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Connections

References Late Show with David Letterman (1993)

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Soundtracks

La Mer
Music by Charles Trenet
Lyrics by Charles Trenet
Performed by Charles Trenet
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Good Premise Could Have Been Better - Man of the Year

I really like Robin Williams and Christopher Walken, who are perfectly cast in this film. Linney is also very good, given what she attempted to do. However, the big hole in this film is simplicity; it is missing. Instead, we get a convoluted attempt at a sappy love story interfering with a potentially hilarious comedy. The conspiracy angle is also an unnecessary subplot. A comedien getting elected in the US was well within the possibility of real life. Dobbs could have been elected on his own; look at President Trump. And Dobbs is a lot funnier than President Trump. A much more believalbe subplot might have been a news anchorwoman who is vehemently against Dobbs originally (like someone from MSNBC) and then warms up after a few personal interviews. The missed opportunities for meeting with foreign leaders is really a terrible shame. Couldnt you just imagine how funny a meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping would have been, among others (not to mention Merkel and May). Missed opportunities for a truly classic comedy. What a shame. Still worth watching despite the contrived conspiracy and romance.