Head of State Review
by Jon Popick (jpopick AT sick-boy DOT com)April 3rd, 2003
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Chris Rock is a terrific standup comedian, but his film career has been pretty disastrous. In addition to being just plain bad, Rock's filmography is loaded with projects that don't make any sense. Why bother remaking Heaven Can Wait? Who thought he'd pair up well with Anthony Hopkins? And Pootie Tang? That's a bad skit from a cable show nobody (but me) watched.
Rock's Head of State, which he also co-wrote and directed, is unfortunately not a step in the right direction. The film is a mess, only sporadically funny at best, but worst of all, it just plain smacks of desperation. Rock really wants to be taken seriously as a leading man, and as a result, his character is so bland you can practically see through him. It may as well be a cardboard cutout of Harrison Ford.
Rock plays Mays Gilliam, a popular Alderman in D.C.'s rough 9th Ward. Mays is the kind of no-nonsense public servant who doesn't wear a suit because he's too busy taking care of his neighborhood's various problems. But, in true movie fashion, life throws Mays a giant curveball. His girlfriend (Robin Givens) dumps him, and he finds himself evicted from office, both physically and figuratively.
But, also in true movie fashion, Mays is about to have a far more positive surprise dropped into his lap. It seems both candidates in the upcoming presidential election died when their planes collided into one another (that's about the funniest joke in State), and Mays's party has selected him to be their new nominee. The real truth, however, is that the party chairman (James Rebhorn) is merely looking for a patsy to be slaughtered by the current Veep (Nick Searcy), which will somehow magically open the gates for him to be the favorite in the 2008 election.
State plays out just like you know it will, with Mays delivering dull, ambiguous speeches provided by his campaign team (Lynn Whitfield and Dylan Baker) before realizing he'll get further by simply being himself. The film gets a shot of adrenaline in the form of Bernie Mac, who plays Mays's bail bondsman brother and his choice for a running mate. Where Rock's Mays is too good and, therefore, too boring, Mac's character is fun and dangerous. He's State's sole saving grace, unless you're a big Nate Dogg fan (he's the film's Greek chorus).
My favorite part of State may have been when, in response to Mays's opponent's smarminess, the seat-kicker behind me observed, "He's so full of shit." Like he was surprised an eight-year Vice President of a very thinly veiled Republican Party might not have America's best interests at heart. His slogan - "God bless America, and no one else" - is particularly amusing considering the recent blossoming of America's new foreign policy ("You're either with us, or you're against us").
1:42 - PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug references
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