Man of the Year

Before I went to see 'Man of the Year' I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about it. Some said that it was not as funny as they thought it would be, others that it was slow and not what they expected. Then there were people who absolutely loved it, thought it was hilarious political satire that everyone should give a chance. I rest myself somewhere inbetween these wise critiques. The movie is, in fact, not what you may be expecting, it is not loaded with one joke after the next, it is by no means a mindless comedy, and it is not a depiction of, say...what would happen if Jon Stewart ran for president. It is a movie about an honest man, an honest man who also happens to be a famous man, fed up with the state of politics in his country. As not so much of a joke, he decides to run for president and he wins. This movie is about many things, relationships, the pursuit of honesty, genuine accountability, corporate corruption, and then comedy. The jokes in this movie are hilarious, don't get me wrong but for once instead of the jokes being the movie, the jokes in this movie enhance a more serious story. What I like most about this film is that a lot of people who may not think about democracy and accountability on a regular basis if at all will go and see this movie for what he/she thinks will be a few laughs and instead (hopefully) will come out thinking about these important issues. Of couse this is a political science student writing this, so, if you do not want to be thinking about these things, even if you should be, do not go and see this movie. But remember this, you will be missing out not only on some really memorable jokes but on a refreshing take of american politics.