Das Weiße Haus sieht schwarz

It's just a silly, funny movie! Don't think too deeply or expect Oscar performances- just a bunch of laughs.

Back in the late 70's and through the early 80's, Richard Pryor made a string of formulaic type movies, the formula being a street-wise black man is unexpectedly placed in a position of great responsibility or privilege for which he is totally unprepared: (Silver Streak, Brewster's Millions, Critical Condition, Bustin Loose). Inevitably, the hero not only succeeds in his newfound role, but excels, all thanks to his streetwise background, which allowed him to confound the numerous white people in these movies who were either thick-headed or cruel mercenaries. This formula, not surprisingly, ran out of gas before Pryor's health started to go downhill, just like the Elvis movie formula did. It was all very unfortunate, because it repackaged Pryor, a true hardcore radical comedian into a middle of the road movie star palatable to a broad based audience. He never reclaimed what he had lost, and neither did Elvis. "Head of State" recycles the same Richard Pryor formula, only updating it to a hip-hop fed generation. Chris Rock plays the Richard Pryor -type character, a Washington DC alderman who catches the attention of Democratic party headquarters as an innovative replacement candidate for the nominee who dies in a plane crash only weeks before the general election. The overall effect is the same watered-down comedy that the RP movies left me with. The backroom cunning and maneuvering is all supposed to look very devious, and Chris Rock turns it all to his advantage, outsmarting the professional politicians at every turn.

The attempted humor in this movie left me cold and annoyed. There were joking references to the assassination of Malcolm X and JonBenet Ramsey that I guess were supposed to make me laugh. They didn't, and nothing, absolutely nothing, in this movie did. The slapping, punching, and assault & battery incidents are continuous and an assault on the senses. Someone has been watching a lot of 3 Stooges. Robin Givens plays a disgruntled ex-girlfriend of the candidate who is repeatedly victimized. In light of her experiences with Mike Tyson, this seems to hit a new low in bad taste. Rock speechifies in his presidential debate scene on the benefits of knocking children in the head when they misbehave, and receives a standing ovation. Not funny.

The problem with a watered-down movie is that it always hedges its bets, flip-flopping between earthy comedy and the serious tones. This movie, which actually has an interesting premise, would have been a lot better if it had gone way over the top, and not pandered to any sense of reality or decorum, like say for example, "Animal House." Put Chris Tucker or Ice-T in the candidate role, with no attempt to be loved by the audience. Bring the 'hood to the White House, and rename it the Black House. Load it with sex, drugs, rock & roll, and FUN!

I couldn't help but feel cynical about the Hollywood establishment's political vendetta associated with this movie. Chris Rock's opponent has an identifiable Texas twang, is personally venemous and slow-witted. Sound familiar? This same establishment will also back liberal governors and senators with expensive haircuts, but has never seriously gotten behind a black presidential candidate. I guess if you produce a movie about it instead of making it happen, that excuses you.

An angry commentary on American politics and the current state of the Republican Party today is made quite clear in "Head of State". Chris Rock stars as a relatively normal man who is having a string of bad luck in one of the roughest areas of Washington, D.C. A heroic rescue of one of his elderly friends leads to Rock getting in the spotlight. Meanwhile the Democratic presidential nominee for 2004 has tragically died in a plane crash. The party feels they have no chance in the election so they come up with an idea to sway minority voters so the Democrats (namely candidate James Rebhorn) can re-claim the presidency in 2008. Get the picture? Dylan Baker and Lynn Whitfield are the two campaign managers assigned to Rock's cause, but soon Rock starts running his own show. Throughout, the Republican nominee (goof-ball Nick Searcy, a character that is an unsympathetic carbon-copy of President George W. Bush) continues to lead the polls mainly because he has been vice president for eight years, is a war hero and is also Sharon Stone's cousin. However, Rock's antics quickly make him the darkest of dark horses in a tight race. Along for the ride also is love interest Tamala Jones, ex-girlfriend Robin Givens (in a psychotic role), personal assistant Stephanie March and the priceless Bernie Mac (in a part that is way too limited). Mac eventually becomes the running mate for Rock. The fact that he is Rock's older brother makes him the most trust-worthy person in a twisted circle. "Head of State" has shades of Warren Beatty's "Bulworth" all over it. Rock, however would rather shy away with sometimes silly comedy than tackling the issues like the aforementioned film did. The Republican Party has already boycotted this film due to the way they are portrayed and that fact has made the production go into a minor financial tail-spin at the box office (overall "Head of State" has been a disappointment economically speaking). Politics aside, the film ultimately fails due to Rock's shortcomings as a director and screenwriter. He definitely has some things to say, but the way he conveys his thoughts are such a jumble on the big screen that the film almost becomes tedious. Rock has a likeable cast and yet he tries to carry the show by himself. This is not a very good thing in the end. Overall I do respect Rock's views and I do think he made a movie that pushes the envelope on some issues in the U.S. today, but in the end "Head of State" is just another potentially good production that never does rise to expectations. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Chris Rock has made an interesting name for himself. He's a black comedian who's been in almost 60 feature films; a writer and co-writer for movies and TV shows like Saturday Night Live; and is a man with strong political opinions. So, with all that talent and experience, you'd think that if he were to write and produce a political satire, it'd be a mix of biting comedy with a message.

If only that were the case with `Head of State.' Instead of biting satire poking fun at the political system, there's a collection of gag jokes that, in themselves are funny, but neither politically pertinent or satirical in any way. What's more the romantic-comedy subplot is way too prominent, elbowing out the main theme of the film.

Rock plays Mays Gilliam, a Washington, D.C. alderman, who's a man of the people. He not only does good things in his neighborhood, but even the drug dealers like him. When the existing democratic presidential candidates unexpectedly die, Gilliam finds himself selected by the party to replace them, all in the name of a politically ambitious underling who sets up Rock to lose in hopes of securing the nomination in the next election. Through a series of gags and mishaps, Gilliam not only gets elected, but gets the girl too.

The film certainly has the gags, many of which are genuinely funny. In fact, if it were all gags, a la `Airplane' and `The Naked Gun', then Rock's film would have been surprisingly refreshing. But, the humor was diluted by attempts at a serious side – both on the political front and the romantic front – and the script fails to know when one ends and the other begins. What's more, the serous or romantic sides to the film, gags notwithstanding, were just plain silly.

It's not that the formula doesn't work. It's been done many times before, such as `Dave', starring Kevin Klein, and Warren Beatty's `Bulworth'. In each case, the `candidate' was unlikely and over the edge, but their straight talk and unconventional approach to politics appealed to the people and resonated with movie audiences. In essence, using this theme as the platform for satirical poignancy was very effective (from an entertainment perspective, not necessarily as a valid social commentary). In the end, the reason these films worked is because it was clear where the gags end and the seriousness begins.

On a separate note with respect to today's current events, I couldn't help but notice that it's because of reality that this movie is actually more disturbing than it should be. In fact, it harkens back to the good old days of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Back then, people didn't take politics or world events seriously at all, as evidenced by the fact that we had actual, serious attempts at the presidency from people such as Donald Trump, Ross Perot, and yes, even Warren Beatty. You'd never see those names in mainstream press in today's environment. Perhaps `Head of State' should have been released during a time when society's perception of politics and the presidency wasn't so important. But today, it's just plain eerie and disturbing.

Generally, I find Rock very annoying in his films, but this one was different. He didn't do a lot of the loud mouth comments. The whole idea of this was silly, but it's a comedy. An alderman from a ghetto in DC is picked by a party to run for president when the other candidate dies. They pick someone who will lose because one of the other guys plans to run for president in 4 years. So of course, Mays decides to do his own thing and tell the people they should have more for their hard work and so on. He plays rap music at black tie parties, and decides to wear gangsta clothes. He rallies people around him and starts gaining approval from the masses. Along the way, he constantly hits on this gas station clerk. But, all of this is OK, but not really funny. The funny part of the whole movie is whenever Robin Givens was on screen. She plays a girl who dumps Mays in the beginning, but once she learns he's running for president, she follows him and acts all sweet and continues to plan their wedding. That part was hillarious.

FINAL VERDICT: Better than most Rock's other movies. It's worth watching if you are looking for a comedy.