Every week, a sizable number of young Americans tunes into The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and most have probably thought, at one point or another: "This guy should really get out of the whole late-night comedy thing and run for office." Stewart seems like the perfect candidate to some: his verbal whooping of Tucker Carlson on Crossfire proved his debating chops, and the rise of The Colbert Report gives him a natural running mate.
Naturally, Hollywood is never too far behind, swooping in with Man of the Year to help indulge liberal fantasies. Director Levinson (Wag the Dog, Rain Man) brings the timely tale of Tom Dobbs (Williams), a late-night comedian running for President as a BS-free Independent. Along for the ride are Walken as Dobbs's campaign manager, Lewis Black as a campaign staffer, Jeff Goldblum as a nefarious criminal mastermind and Linney as a truth-seeking former programmer.
The first and most obvious problem with Man of the Year is that Robin Williams is not Jon Stewart. Whereas Stewart can get a laugh from merely contorting his face, Williams's humor is more manic and over the top. More than once, Williams has every actor on screen inexplicably cracking up at canned lines that would be more appropriate, and more amusing, in a TV comedy special.
Adding in a voting machine conspiracy involving Jeff Goldblum's character only makes the tone more uneven. Watching Linney hack computers and hide from Goldblum's goons, it's hard to tell whether the film intends to be more a comedy or a bad version of The Manchurian Candidate.
Man's concept may be interesting, but most viewers would be content to keep watching The Daily Show instead, at least until Stewart finally decides to make his political move.
