Man of the Year (2006 film)

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Man of the Year

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Barry Levinson
Produced by James G. Robinson
Written by Barry Levinson
 Robin Williams
 Christopher Walken
 Laura Linney
Starring
 Jeff Goldblum
 Lewis Black

Music by Graeme Revell

Cinematography Dick Pope
Blair Daily
Edited by
Steven Weisberg
Production
Morgan Creek Productions
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
 October 13, 2006
Release date

Running time 115 minutes

Country United States
Language English
 Budget $20 million[1]
Box office $41.2 million

Man of the Year is a 2006 American political satire film directed and written by Barry Levinson,
produced by James G. Robinson, and starring Robin Williams. The film also features
Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Lewis Black, and Jeff Goldblum. In the film Williams
portrays Tom Dobbs, the host of a comedy/political talk show, based loosely on the real-life
persona of Jon Stewart. With an offhand remark, he prompts four million people to e-mail their
support; then he decides to campaign for President. The film was released theatrically on
October 13, 2006, and was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, and in parts of Washington,
D.C.[2] Man of the Year received mostly negative reviews and earned $41.2 million on a $20
million budget.

Contents
 1 Plot
 2 Cast
 3 Production
o 3.1 Casting
 4 Release
 5 Reception
 6 See also
 7 References
 8 External links

Plot
Tom Dobbs is host of a satirical news program, tapping into public frustrations with divisive,
special interest-driven politics. Dobbs laughs off an audience suggestion that he run for
president, but following online support, he announces his campaign on air. He gets on the ballot
in 13 states and participates in a national debate with the Democratic incumbent, President
Kellogg, and Republican candidate Senator Mills.

Eleanor Green works at the Delacroy voting machine company, which will provide machines for
the Presidential election. Shortly before the elections, Eleanor notices that the voting system does
not work correctly and alerts the head of the company, James Hemmings, via an e-mail that he
deletes.

Dobbs takes the campaign seriously, to the chagrin of his manager, Jack Menken, and his show's
producer, Eddie Langston. The night of the presidential debates, fed up with the other candidates'
posturing, Dobbs shifts back into comedy, keeping the audience laughing while making serious
points. He continues his showman persona on the campaign trail, shaking up the political
landscape and surging in the polls, but remains well behind Kellogg and Mills.

On Election Day, early returns show Kellogg beating Mills everywhere, exactly as Eleanor
predicted the voting system would report. Dobbs sweeps the 13 states in which he is on the
ballot, taking enough electoral votes to be elected president. When Eleanor confronts Hemmings
about the Delacroy computer error, senior executive Stewart turns her aside. While Dobbs and
his team move from shock to celebration, Eleanor is attacked in her home and given an injection.
The next day, she displays erratic behavior and is sent to the hospital, where tests reveal high
levels of illegal drugs. Her workmate Danny visits and reveals he has been promoted, which she
thinks is an effort to buy him off. He tries to convince her that she has a drug habit and that no
one will listen if she goes public, but she decides that Dobbs will believe her.

Traveling to Washington and impersonating an FBI agent, Eleanor explains to Dobbs that she
was recently fired by Delecroy, but he is pulled away before she can explain the election results.
Dobbs tries to contact Eleanor by calling Delacroy's headquarters, and Hemmings explains
Eleanor was fired due to a drug problem.

Eleanor figures out the flaw in Delacroy's system – no matter the actual results, the system
declares the winner as the name with double letters, in alphabetical order, so that Do’’bb’’s beats
Kello’’gg’’, which beats Mi’’ll’’s. Eleanor calls Dobbs and he whisks her off to a Thanksgiving
celebration with his friends. Smitten with her, he says he already knows about her drug problem,
which she denies and tells him that the election result was wrong before leaving. Dobbs calls
Eleanor, telling her that he will break the news the next day. She calls Danny, who informs
Stewart, who preempts Dobbs' public announcement by announcing that Eleanor was caught
attempting to manipulate the election for Dobbs but that her efforts had no impact on the polls.
Dobbs' team turns against Eleanor, except for Dobbs. Eleanor becomes increasingly concerned
for her safety, and sees Delacroy agents break into her motel room and take her computer.

She flees to a crowded mall, but is followed and apprehended by a Delacroy agent. She escapes
and calls Dobbs from a pay phone, but another Delacroy agent drives his truck into the phone
booth. Dobbs goes to the scene and talks with the injured Eleanor in her ambulance, where she
convinces him of the truth.

Dobbs’ friends encourage him to remain president, with polls showing that 60% of the nation
wants him in office. That night, invited onto the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night
Live, Dobbs announces that the Delacroy vote system was flawed, that Eleanor told her bosses
but they covered it up and silenced her, and that he will not run in the new election that must
now take place.

President Kellogg wins a second term, Dobbs returns to hosting his satirical news program, with
Eleanor as his producer and later his wife, and the Delacroy executives are arrested. TIME
magazine chooses Dobbs as Person of the Year.

Cast
  Robin Williams as Tom Dobbs
 Christopher Walken as Jack Menken
 Laura Linney as Eleanor Green
 Lewis Black as Eddie Langston
 Jeff Goldblum as Stewart
 David Alpay as Danny
 Rick Roberts as James Hemmings
 Karen Hines as Alison McAndrews
 Linda Kash as Jenny Adams
 David Nichols as President Kellogg
 Jacqueline Pillon as Security Tech
 Tina Fey as herself (cameo)
 Amy Poehler as herself (cameo)

Production
Casting

Director Barry Levinson originally wanted Howard Stern for the starring role of Tom Dobbs,
which would have been his second movie role after starring as himself in Private Parts.
Scheduling conflicts with Stern's debut on Sirius radio prevented him from taking on the part.[3]

Release
Universal Pictures released Man of the Year theatrically on October 13, 2006. It grossed $37.3
million in North America and $3.9 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of
$41.2 million.[4] Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released it on DVD on February 20,
2007, where it grossed another $25.1 million in sales.[1]

Reception
Man of the Year received mostly negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating
of 22% based on reviews from 143 critics. The site's consensus states: "Weakened by second-
half attempts at thriller and romance, this presidential comedy also fails to hit any sharp political
notes, resulting in a confused and unsatisfying mess."[5] On Metacritic the film has a score of
39% based on reviews from 30 critics.[6] Most of the critics noted the abrupt change in tone from
comedy to conspiracy film. Many critics rated the entire movie negatively, calling the early
humor of the film uninspired and less biting than that of the real-life television comedians Dobbs
was modeled after (such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert); others argued that the early
political humor of the film was both funny and on-target, but argued that the change in tone to a
conspiracy film damaged its effectiveness, and many criticized the love story aspect between
Williams and Linney.
Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com wrote, "It's a comedy, a political thriller, a love story: Barry
Levinson's Man of the Year tries to be all things to all people and fails on every count – a little
like the generic, ineffectual politicians it's pretending to excoriate".[7] James Berardinelli of
ReelViews felt it "makes telling points and has a lot to say, but it loses its voice along with its
consistency around the mid-way point".[8] Josh Larsen of the Sun Publications line of newspapers
asked straight out, "What is it about Robin Williams that he often appears in these wild misfires,
pictures that are so full of promise yet so disastrous in execution?"[9] Frank Lovece of Film
Journal International placed the well-regarded Levinson's challenge and failure within a larger
context: "If satire is what dies on a Saturday night, then political-satire movies are what die on
Fridays. Maybe we're used to the TV topicality of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or Real
Time with Bill Maher, whereas movies are months in the making, turning their current events
into history. Yet successful satire needn't be topical – witness Network, Election, Dr.
Strangelove – because some verities are timeless. Since when, after all, hasn't there been a
populist saying, 'Throw the rascals out'?"[10]

The film debuted at #3 at the box office its opening weekend, with a theatrical gross of
$12,550,000.[11]

See also
 Head of State, a 2003 Chris Rock film of the same kind
 Pat Paulsen
 Stephen Colbert presidential campaign, 2008

References
1.

 "Man of the Year (2006)". The Numbers. Retrieved 2015-10-27.

  "Internet Movie Database – List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario". Retrieved 2008-01-
29.
  Rabin, Nathan (2008-10-17). "Barry Levinson". The A. V. Club. Onion. Retrieved 2008-
10-17.
  "Man of the Year". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  "Man of the Year". RottenTomatoes. Fandango Media.
  "Man of the Year". Metacritic.
  Salon.com review, by Stephanie Zacharek
  Reelviews.net review, by James Berardinelli
  The Bolingbrook [Illinois] Sun review, by Josh Larsen
  Film Journal review, by Frank Lovece

1.  RottenTomatoes.com: Man of the Year Numbers

External links
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Man of the Year

 Official website (archived)

 Man of the Year on IMDb
 Man of the Year at Box Office Mojo
 Man of the Year at Rotten Tomatoes


 v
 t
 e

Films directed by Barry Levinson

 Peeping Times (1978)
 Diner (1982)
 The Natural (1984)
 Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
 Tin Men (1987)
 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
 Rain Man (1988)
 Avalon (1990)
 Bugsy (1991)
 Toys (1992)
 Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
 Disclosure (1994)
 Sleepers (1996)
 Wag the Dog (1997)
 Sphere (1998)
 Liberty Heights (1999)
 An Everlasting Piece (2000)
 Bandits (2001)
 Envy (2004)
 Man of the Year (2006)
 What Just Happened (2008)
 PoliWood (2009)
 You Don't Know Jack (2010)
 The Bay (2012)
 The Humbling (2014)
 Rock the Kasbah (2015)
 The Wizard of Lies (2017)
 Paterno (2018)
  Harry Haft (2020)

Categories:

 2006 films
 English-language films
 2000s comedy thriller films
 2000s romantic comedy-drama films
 American comedy thriller films
 American political satire films
 American romantic comedy-drama films
 American films
 Films directed by Barry Levinson
 Films about elections
 Films about fictional presidents of the United States
 United States presidential succession in fiction
 Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario
 Films shot in Toronto
 Morgan Creek Productions films
 Universal Pictures films
 Films scored by Graeme Revell
 Films set in the White House
 2006 comedy films
 2006 drama films

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 This page was last edited on 3 July 2020, at 06:38 (UTC).

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