Watch It

On DVD: Now | On Blu-ray: TBD

Man of the Year Review

Release Date: Oct 13, 2006
Rated: language including some crude sexual references, drug related material, and brief violence
Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.
Genres: Comedy
Director:Barry Levinson
Cast:Robin Williams, Laura Linney, Christopher Walken, Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

0.0

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

… it deserves to be hated. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

2.0

39

out of 100

Metascore^®
Generally unfavorable reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
40

out of 100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The result is a mess -- sometimes an entertaining mess, but mostly a movie that makes a perfunctory mockery of the mockery currently passing for political discourse.
42

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Williams turns out to be exactly the wrong candidate for the job, a comedian singularly uninterested in letting anyone else get a word in, but with nothing to say.

Read Full Review

50

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
Like a politician who waters down his message to gain favor with the masses rather than truly serving his constituency, Man of the Year seems determined to play it safe on all counts.

Read Full Review
50

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Levinson diverts his film into a political thriller with its own conspiracy theory, an improbable romance and a curious subplot that feels like an anti-smoking ad. Little wonder his bewildered star, Robin Williams, looks confused much of the time.

Read Full Review
63

out of 100

ReelViews James Berardinelli
For 60 minutes, the movie appears to have found the right tone and approach, then everything goes wrong. It's rare to see a production that starts so strongly finish so weakly.

Read Full Review
See all Man of the Year reviews at Metacritic.com

View MoreView Less

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 12+

Lame political comedy misses the mark.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that teens will likely be interested in this movie thanks to relentless promotion and its connection to Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Unfortunately, it just isn't that funny -- it could have been an amusing political commentary, but it missed the mark. Also, there are crude jokes galore (remember, it stars Robin Williams) about diapers, farts, "inhaling," pictures of naked women, and sex ("I did not have sex with that woman ... I wanted to, but I didn't").

Families can talk about whether a comedian could really run for president and win. If so, who would be a good candidate? What makes someone qualified to be president? Is it OK to have a president who isn't exactly a model of morality? What specific people and issues is the movie spoofing? What issues should be brought up in a presidential candidacy? Where does your family stand on topical issues like abortion, hydrogen fuel, war, and legal marijuana?

The good stuff

Messages: A character tries to cover up his company's mistake. Characters are corrupt (politicians, corporate big-wigs). Lots of crude humor.

What to watch for

Violence: Paint-ball scene in which the president is shot. A character refers to beating up a guy when he was a teenager.
Sex: Romance between two characters, kissing, implied sex, jokes about Monica Lewinsky, lesbians, foreplay, prostitutes, underwear, same-sex marriages, pictures of naked women.
Language: "Damn," "f--k."
Consumerism: Post-It Notes, Paintball, references to Enron, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Oprah, Saturday Night Live, NASCAR, Ikea.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: A character chain smokes. Social drinking at a dinner party. Jokes about "inhaling."

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.