Head of State
When a presidential candidate dies unexpectedly in the middle of the campaign, the Democratic party unexpectedly picks a Washington, D.C. alderman as his replacement.
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- Cast:
- Chris Rock , Bernie Mac , Dylan Baker , Nick Searcy , Lynn Whitfield , Robin Givens , Tamala Jones
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Reviews
Thanks for the memories!
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Funny movie and I´ve seen a lot of times with my pals and family!
Sometimes a film can actually affect the future. Since this movie came out in 2003 and Obama wasn't elected until 2008, what influence did it have? I haven't read all the IMDb reviews, so I wonder if any of them mention President Obama? I wonder if this movie affected that Obama actually got elected?
Why is it that in the quotes list, no one has listed Mays' first big speech? YOu know, the one where he turns off the TelePrompter (somewhat expected, from a rebel candidate), and sets off into a Chris Rock standup routine that turns the whole campaign around? It's one of the funniest pieces of standup I've ever seen--even funnier than when he compared the war to 'coming $87 million short on your register at the Gap, and then leading them in a war against Banana Republic because they have 'toxic tank tops,' only to find out when the workforce at the Gap has been reduced by half that Banana Republic doesn't sell tank tops.' (See the 2005 Oscars.) Bernie Mac fits wonderfully as the older brother turned running mate, and the rest of the movie fits wonderfully. Especially when Mays takes the love interest on a tour of DC (while making fun of anybody and everybody who has a building--Abe Lincoln ('okay, I'll free the slaves, but first you've got to build me a huge statue' (paraphrased)) to Oprah ('There's the Treasury. If you look closely, you'll see Oprah inside counting all her money).
Head of State has a few funny moments, just not enough to sustain its running time. Mays Gilliam is about to be red-lined out of his job. But after the untimely death of the party frontrunner, Gilliam is plucked from obscurity, and thrust into the limelight as his party's nominee--for President of the United States. The players in Gilliam's life include: Mitch Gilliam, his unsophisticated older brother who becomes his running mate; Kim, his ex-girlfriend who had once dumped him, but who now has a sudden change of heart; Martin Geller, his campaign manager; Lisa Clark, the woman who truly believes in Gilliam; and Debra Lassiter, the woman who doesn't have faith in his candidacy, and is serving as his reluctant adviser. The plot sounds okay and it defiantly has potential since Chris Rock is attached too it. It didn't work out that way though as the film is just not very funny. I used to think Chris Rock was funny in films such as Dogma. Now after films like this one, Bad Company and Down to Earth, I'm start to think he has lost his touch. He is also the director so he could have changed something that he didn't like in the script. Bernie Mac is disappointing in this film as well and he didn't have a lot to work with either. None of the other cast members do much and their talents are wasted with this movie. Head of State isn't insulting it just gets really boring at times. Its actually a pretty short film at just 95 minutes long, though it defiantly feels a lot longer then that. The jokes are old and the film is pretty predictable as well. Its just a silly comedy though so its not worth really hating and taking too serious. Its just disappointing since it could have been so much better. In the end, this is a below average comedy and not really worth watching. Rating 5/10, skip this one.