Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.
out of 100
Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.
Chris Rock was busy directing, producing, co-writing and starring in this light comedy. Given his hilarious stand-up routines, one wishes he had spent a little more time on the script.
Read Full Review
This is silliness of such a special grade, performed with such zest, that it makes you forgive and even forget the movie's foolishness and borderline incoherence.
The key term here is "fairy tale," because, although the movie occasionally tries for dramatic moments, they're overplayed, undercooked, and divorced from reality.
An imperfect movie, but not a boring one and not lacking in intelligence.
Rock and Mac exult in the kind of highly charged verbal and physical antics that are star-turn rewards for performers currently at the tops of their games.
See all Head of State reviews at Metacritic.com
Iffy for 14+
Chris Rock runs for president.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie has some raw humor that may be troubling or offensive to some audience members. A woman breaks up with her fiance by telling him that he is bad in bed and "I've had better sex with guys who have spina bifida." A beautiful woman on the candidate's staff is a prostitute hired to be available so that there will not be any sex scandals (though Mays turns her down). There are jokes about drinking and drugs (though Mays refuses to accept campaign contributions from a man who markets malt liquor to minors). There is a lot of hitting and slapping that is supposed to be comic and jokes about assassination attempts.
Violence: Comic violence, a lot of slapping and punching
Sex: Sexual references including prostitution
Language: Some very strong language
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: References to drinking and drugs, smoking
