This film - "Head of State" - is a mystery
wrapped inside of a perplexion wrapped inside of an
enigma. Technically, this is an absolutely dreadful
picture - terrible directing, same old redundant and
overused clichés, and one of the most implausible plots
of any film released this year. So, why in the hell
did I enjoy it so much? That, my friends, is the
mystery. Maybe we can solve it together...shall
we...
The film opens hilariously - I will not give the joke
away, but let's just say you should pay pretty close
attention to the opening credits. Chris Rock stars
as Mays Gilliam, an alderman from Washington, D.C., who is
handpicked to run for the Presidency of the United States,
after the intended candidate and his running mate are
killed in a plane crash (their planes hit one another
because they were talking to one another on cellular
phones). At first, Mays is pressured by his two
advisors, Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) and Debra Lassiter
(Lynn Whitfield), to do everything by the book - read the
cue cards and follow the pre-written speeches. Alas,
Mays eventually starts doing things his own way, which
includes large amounts of profanity, the glitz and glamour
usually associated with rap stars, and a negative ad
suggesting that his opponent is friends with both the KKK
and Osama Bin Laden.
There is also a love story within the film involving Mays
and Lisa Clark (Tamala Jones), and Robin Givens pops up
throughout the film as one of Mays' old flings.
James Rebhorn co-stars as a presidential hopeful, and
SNL's Tracy Morgan is a guy in a gas station trying to
sell stolen meats. Oh, and I forgot to mention that
Bernie Mac co-stars in this film as Mays' older brother, a
former bail bondsman; he is eventually chosen as a running
mate.
This premise is absurd. I will not go into why it is
absurd because that would take the rest of this review and
six or seven more. I will say, however, that this
film is funnier than it should have been. Bernie Mac
is the highlight in the film, and most of his comedy is
physical, whether it is his slapping total strangers in a
train station or his facial gestures when he is on a talk
show. He is hilarious. And, Chris Rock,
actually manages to direct a somewhat successful slapstick
piece. I liked the quick shots of him being
assassinated and I especially liked it when he showed the
'whore training'.
I have never been a huge Chris Rock fan, but I was
pleasantly surprised with this film. I laughed
through the entire film and highly recommend it to anyone
out there looking for a chuckle. It is no "Wag
the Dog" or "Dave" - but, then again, you
can't really compare it to either one of those films.
This is 'unique', to say the least.
