Man of the Year

Well, I'm nothing if not consistent in my inconsistency. Last weekend I pan HAPPY FEET because of too much Robin Williams and its schizophrenic nature, and what do I watch this weekend? MAN OF THE YEAR, which not only stars Robin Williams but is even more schizophrenic than HAPPY FEET -- and I sort of liked it.

It's half political comedy (a lot of which seemed to be improvised by Williams, including a few bits reminiscent of his days as Mork from Ork) and half political thriller, with some suspenseful scenes and even a little action. I don't care much for politics, either in real life or as a subject for fiction. But there are some good points made here and there in this movie, and Williams is pretty funny at times. The supporting cast is good, with Laura Linney, Jeff Goldblum (who's starring in RAINES, the not-bad TV cop show that just wrapped up its run on NBC), and Christopher Walken in a non-sinister change-of-pace role for him. (I have to admit that I can't even hear Walken's voice anymore without thinking about his guest shot on THE SIMPSONS a couple of years ago where he's reading "Goodnight Moon" to some little kids. "Scooch closer, kiddies. Don't make me tell you again about the scooching.")

Since I keep talking about other things besides this movie, I guess I wasn't that impressed with it. But I laughed a few times and I didn't fall asleep. These days, I'll take that.