Could this man be our next president?

On a lark, the host of a late-night political talk show (Williams) decides to run for president. The thing is, he never expected to win.

I like the ARCHLIGHT THEATER in HOLLYWOOD, CA.  The seats are comfortable, the screens are all good sized and the establishment (since it's renovation from THE DOME a few years back) is nice and clean.  These things definitely serve to the purpose of watching films in a comfortable environment, and helps  to not distract from the movie going experience leaving one free to enjoy their 90 to 120 minute (unless we are talking PETER JACKSON then it is more like 180 to 2,995,993,765 minute) break from reality. Lucky for me last nights screening of the new BARRY LEVINSON (WAG THE DOG, RAIN MAN) directed film MAN OF THE YEAR was at this very theater.

As MAN OF THE YEAR opens we are immediately whisked into the world of TOM DOBBS (ROBIN WILLIAMS) a seeming film version of JON STEWART, who much like the aforementioned STEWART has his very own political satire show on cable.  Through a few odd circumstances (the first being an audience member during one of DOBBS tapings saying he should run for President of the United States) and what seemed to start as a joke ends up sending DOBBS on a path towards the presidency.  With the help of his manager JACK MENKEN (CHRISTOPHER WALKEN) and his television production staff (headed by none other than THE DAILY SHOW alumni LEWIS BLACK) TOM DOBBS begins campaigning by bus through out the United States.  During DOBBS campaign we are introduced to a company called DELACROY SYSTEMS who is developing a new computer integrated touch screen system for the general voting process, which is supposed to eliminate any and all human error from our democratic process.  Of course this is not the case as one of the system analyzers ELEANOR GREEN (LAURA LINNEY) discovers that there is an error in the system and when she tries to alert her higher ups she is told that the problem is isolated to her computer and has been fixed within the actual program going out to the masses.

After being side tracked by this ridiculous sub-plot, we are again back with DOBBS as he finds out that he will be added to the ballots in 17 states and as well will be able to participate in the Presidential Debate.  During the debate TOM DOBBS stages what one can only resemble to a filibuster where he attacks both the democratic and republican parties, picking out their loyalties to big business and lobbyists and how that affects the 90% of other citizens who are not big business or lobbyists.  This sends the crowd and America into a cheering uproar and catapults DOBBS into the race, as before he seemed to be the joke candidate (ROSS PEROT?).

As the election is on, ELEANOR GREEN notices the same system flaw that was supposed to be isolated to just her computer is happening through out the entire system and is bound to control the outcome of the election.  She again tries to concern her CEO with the problem and is this time intercepted by his legal advisor ALAN STEWART (JEFF GOLDBLUM) who insists that if she is to pursue this problem she would be ensuring that thousands of DELACROY employees would lose their jobs.

 
The numbers begin to total up and DOBBS begins to see new light in his chances at winning as all of the 17 states in which he was on the ballot came in as him winning.  At the end of the night TOM DOBBS is announced as the next President of the United States of America, as ELEANOR GREEN is attacked in her home to silence her knowledge of the system error.  Soon ELEANOR decides to set out to tell the truth about the election to the only man she thinks will believe her, that man of course being the President elect TOM DOBBS.  Yet, with DELACROY and their legal staff on her trail trying to stifle all of her attempts, it leaves TOM DOBBS to make the final decision whether to believe ELEANOR that he is not the actual Presidential elect or to disavow such knowledge and maintain to become the next President of the free world.