![man of the year robin williams man of the year robin williams](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51isD3v9xrL.jpg)
The film rides on Robin Williams and for most of it, he's right in his element, doing pretty funny (if tamer than his usual) stand-up, some material straight from his real-life routines. However, while the transition from comedic romp to intrigue-filled muddy waters was a tad jarring, it wasn't handled as poorly as it could have been. I've read many reviews about how the film starts off as a promising-ish comedy and then flounders into a romantically-charged thriller and yes, these reviewers certainly have a point. Unlike movies cut from a similar satirical cloth, "Man of the Year" sputters along without having anything new to add to the discussion.
![man of the year robin williams man of the year robin williams](https://motaen.com/upload/wallpapers/source/2009/07/16/10/01/12741/movies_691.jpg)
The direction is swift enough, and the actors manage to get in some good comic banter (I wish Lewis Black's character of a jaded writer for Dobb's show, were fleshed out more), but it's mostly much ado about nothing in terms of satire. Unfortunately, the script cannot take advantage of whatever comedy momentum the film builds up during the first half, with cheapened attempts at suspense and romance subplots fall embarrassingly flat. Things look to get very interesting when a flaw in a fancy new digital voting system anoints Dobbs as the leader of the USA. When an off-hand remark starts an Internet petition to elect Dobbs as the next President, he responds by eschewing commercials and public spending in favor of energetic (and hilarious) debate performances. The premise is solid enough, with the plot following comedian Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams), who hosts a successful Daily-Show clone on cable television. Funny for the first forty minutes or so of its running time, "Man of the Year" is frustratingly unengaging, during its porous second half.