Head of State

Plot synopsis:
Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is an alderman of the 9th Ward in the Washington D.C. area. After being fired from his post, Mays is surprisingly chosen as the party candidate for the presidency (after his party's original presidential and vice-presidential nominees die in a plane crash; their two separate planes crashed into each other) to run against sitting vice-president Brian Lewis. Assuming the election was already lost, the party decided to pick a likeable but losing minority candidate to improve their chances of another politician taking the office in the next presidential election. At first, Mays feels he will not be able to succeed as President because he would be representing the entire African-American populace, and does not want to do anything to mess it up. However, Mays begins to rise in the polls after his brother (Bernie Mac) persuades him to speak out for what he believes. He begins to talk about issues such as welfare, money, society, etc. After Lewis runs a series of attack ads including one saying Mays supports Cancer, Mays begins to fight back using what he claimed was "kissing" his opponent (Taking from Bugs Bunny-Elmer Fudd cartoons). In this strategy, Mays hires various individuals such as a KKK member to endorse his opponent, or dubs a videotape of Osama bin Ladin saying he hates America but likes Brian Lewis. This strategy allows Mays to gain more points in the election. As the voting day draws closer, Mays eventually finds out the reason why he was chosen as the party candidate, and fires some disloyal campaign operatives. He debates his opponent in which he manages to win the crowd over by speaking truth of the American life. Mays ends up winning the election and the presidency.

Tags: satire, entertaining

Review:
Like in the begginning of the movie Chris Rock girlfriend was terribly annoying.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
If you asked me, I would think this flick's mixed bag of humour (from no-holds barred low brow to smart insightful attacks on American electoral politics) worked only because it has been delivered the only way someone as comic-attuned as Chris Rock knew how.
Chris Rock has balls and he mixes old-school comedy (think SNL in the 80s) and current American politics.
both the republican and democrats are corrupt and greedy, with no one but themselves at interest when it comes to "The United States of America." But, as Mr. Rock points out in the commentary, this film is a comedy, and not intended to be a political commentary.So why then did so few people think it was funny?
The problem is his altered perception of himself as a film star (as opposed to the established HBO black equivalent of Dennis Miller): he phonily positions himself from the onset as cuddly, concerned for the constituents of the ward he's an alderman for and reasonably ignorant of national issues; he's finally allowed to become self-aware only when his older brother (the always welcome Bernie Mac) intercedes.
Rock, making his directorial debut, opts for the equivalent of a made-for-TV movie with a flat look, very mild gags (there are not nearly enough white fright jokes but there is a fundraiser that turns into a dance party with elderly WASPs doing the electric slide, and opening credits that state Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, George Bush and Hillary Clinton, among others, `are not in this movie') and very little interest in being taken seriously.
It's obvious that Chris Rock had intentions of making a movie that preaches to the American public of the wrongs and injustices that many middle to lower class people face.
However, when I go to see a Chris Rock movie labeled COMEDY, I want to watch a movie that is funny, not a movie that rambles on and on about politics.
Will he have the chance to be the first African American President of the USA?"Head of State" is a silly film that every now and then makes laugh.
They laughed louder and harder than I did.This is a good movie overall, with a mass-appeal.Kudos to Chris Rock..
He does the same old White ppl are geeks who cant dance jokes and sure they were funny the first time but this is like the fourth movie in a row with the same old bs.
I've always thought that Chris Rock is a genius when it comes to stand-up, but the movies he's played the leading role in, for some reason, haven't been that good.
I had a good gutlaugh several times and the movie made a pretty good point, too.Both Chris Rock and Bernie Mac did a good job in this one.
If you like Chris Rock's and Bernie Mac's stand up, I'd advice you to watch this..
White people acting like idiots as soon as Chris Rock throws on a little Nelly at a fundraiser, behaving like wiggers, having large glasses and so on.Black people acting like fools basically all the time, being stereotypical village idiots with no wits at all.stereotypes that really does not help to sooth racial tension in any way, quite the contrary actually.I gave it a three, if it wasn't for Bernie Mac I would have given it a one.Awful!.
An incompetent, barely significant local DC official, Chris Rock, gets plucked from obscurity by a major political party, presumably Democrats though Rock doesn't have the guts (or perhaps intelligence) to name any parties, to run and lose against an uber-conservative sparkling generality pusher Vice President Lewis.
Rock's socialist hip-hop, straight-talk campaign takes him all the way to the top of the polls.Barely ten minutes into this movie, the viewer is convinced that its political content has been dumbed down for the audience, because of course everyone loves to be patronized.
But by a half-hour into it, you realize that there is no shred of reality to be found; this is little more than one of Rock's favorite day-dreams that he somehow convinced a studio to fund into a poor movie (probably by emphasizing the fact that it's a "black president" comedy, and the industry has been dying to capitalize on that idea for years).Besides its lack of political intelligence, it's just plain not funny.
This movie could set civil rights back 40 years if anyone took it seriously.Even the most useless and unrealistic of political comedies (Legally Blone 2) had some genuine inspiring moments about refining the system and making it work.
This piece of political satire, starring comedian Chris Rock, who also co-wrote it and made his directorial debut with it, was released in 2003, but I didn't see it, nor did I even hear of it, until a couple years ago, when it came on TV and I watched it.
It helps when his brother, Mitch, becomes his running mate, but it doesn't help that Mays doesn't know the real reason why he was chosen to run (because they were sure he would lose, and increase the chances of somebody else in their party winning the next election), nor does it help that Lewis is going to great extremes to discredit Gilliam with his campaign ads!
(Since Mac died just last month, I guess now is an appropriate time for me to say R.I.P.) However, the humour, no matter which actors/characters are involved, rarely rises above mediocrity, and since the laughs are supposed to be a big part of "Head of State", that's not a good thing.As I pointed out, and as you may have already known before, Chris Rock made his directorial debut with this 2003 comedy.
Since then, he has directed another comedy movie, 2007's "I Think I Love My Wife", which he also co-wrote, like he did with this film.
As for "Head of State", which I have now seen twice but still can't write a very positive review of, I've seen MUCH worse comedies from this decade, the worst probably being "Epic Movie" (probably the worst excuse for a comedy I've ever seen), and the humour in this film is high above the disgustingly puerile "humour" you'll find in films like that, but this comedy still doesn't quite cut it.
I knew this movie wouldn't be any good at all, but I was at least hoping that Chris Rock could drop some goodies.
It goes from comedy, to serious, to bullshit.If you want to see a good Chris Rock movie, this won't be it.
'Head of State' would have been better served if Chris Rock would have just said "vote for me" at the start.
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.
Some one as funny as Chris Rock, who is one of comedy's greatest talents, should have been able to write something much better than this.
Sure the movie has the typical Rock jokes that we all know and love, but the lack of story telling hurts this picture more than you could imagine.Within the first 15 minutes, the audience experiances Rock's character going from activist, to candidate, to accepting his position of a so called "politician." There is not one single moment where the movie or Rock slows down and asks, "What exactly am I doing running for office?" Everything is rushed and jokes are thrown at you as if you were too stupid to understand them if they were quitley set in.Sure, Bernie Mac is funny and sure Chris Rock is hilarious, but not in this film.
Instead, once the film decides to slow down and examine the characters and situation, one gets the sense of utter boredom and begins to beg the picture to get back on the fast track.In conclusion, how many times can you run the same "white people act like this, while black people act this joke" joke and laugh, especially when it's done it a PG-13 environment?
When you have someone with talent like Chris Rock, it's best to keep him in the HBO standup rutine because that's where he can go all out and truly make people laugh.
A film that feels remarkably aged and redundant after the 2008 US Presidential elections with the election of Barack Obama.Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is a conscientious and hard working Alderman in Washington DC.
Chris Rock stars in a black comedy (no pun intended) about a black man running for the US presidency.
Just like how we're forced to see Murphy in corny, watered-down, PC flicks like "The Haunted Mansion" and "Showtime," we're forced to see Rock in flicks like "Down to Earth" (also written by him) and "Head of State." However, one movie where he was funny was "Nurse Betty," an R-rated film.
In Chris Rock's "Head of State" the film shows what an African American would do if he were running for president of the United States, and to be honest with people, I would vote for Chris.
The film's premise is about an alderman (Rock) who is fired from his job, lost his girlfriend (Robin Givens)and is being nominated for President of the United States after a fellow candidate died on a plane crash.
I'm a big fan of Chris Rock's stand-up comedy, and also a Bernie Mac fan too, but there's nothing funny about this movie and it was a huge disappointment.
Bernie Mac ALMOST saved the movie but the writing was just so bad-- and I say that with all due respect to Chris Rock, who I think is one of the smartest and funniest guys around.
Maybe some will think this is a good movie and I must admit I've only seen Chris Rock in supporting roles, so maybe this is typical of a starring vehicle for him.
Some of it, though, was smart political humor, and I'm thankful that it had some merit to it, and was just not another movie like Bringing Down the House, where, although it was funny, all of the humor was dirty and racist.Along the way of the campaign, Mays realizes that he needs a vice president.
It played like a skit on "The Chris Rock Show," which can be very funny, but only for ten minutes.
There were funny bits throughout the movie, particularly when Chris Rock made speeches, because he got a chance to do his standup material.
Watching Chris Rock and Bernie Mac slug each other in greeting was funny the first time.
The movie is entitled, "Head of State" in which Rock's character is reluctantly put in a position to be elected the first black president in United States history.
Also, get this his vice president is played by Bernie Mac, his brother in the movie.The movie from the start to the ending was hilarious with the combine comic antics of both Mr. Rock and Mr. Mac in which they both mesh very well in this movie.The movie also shows how our political system is very corrupt and very dishonest to the people who voted them into office.
Not only did Chris Rock star in this off beat comedy, but the popular comic helped write and directed the film.
There are some funny parts supplied by Chris Rock, Bernie Mac and Lynn Whitfield(playing Debra Lassiter), but other than a few funnies, this movie is the classic old white people doing hip hop, and this has bad writing..
In his latest comedy and directorial debut, Head of State, Chris Rock plays Mays Gilliam, an alderman with nothing going his way, who is pulled out of obscurity after a television appearance to run for the presidential office.
Now let me hear y'all say, that ain't right!"  When he discovers that he was nominated because certain individuals knew he would loose, he kicks his campaign into a higher gear, and asks his brother Mitch (a dead-pan Bernie Mac) to be his running mate.Unfortunately, despite a clever story, Rock's film performance, like others, fail to live up to his work as a stand-up comic or as a performer on SNL.
Great First Time Director's Movie-Good Job, Chris!.
Amusing farce as Rock, an alderman, picked to run for President of the United States after the original presidential candidate dies in a plane crash two months before the election.
Chris Rock, long time stand-up comedian, makes his directorial debut in `Head Of State.' This film was surprisingly impressive.
Mac (`Ocean's Eleven') is hilarious in the role and with the likes of these two comedians, it ultimately leads `Head Of State' to be a better comedy than the other two major comedy releases of late: `Bringing Down The House,' and `Anger Management.' Rock stars as Mays Gilliam, an alderman in Washington D.C. area, who is chosen to run for President after the official candidate is killed in an accident.
Not to mention the funny way in which Rock and Mac greet each other-a good slug in the gut.Dylan Baker (`Fried Green Tomatoes,' `Cast Away') plays the other Presidential candidate, Martin Geller, who is also the current Vice President.
Baker is quite comical as an arrogant candidate whose favorite line to feed to the mob is `God Bless America, and no else.'Rock did have some obvious technical difficulties in the filming of `Head Of State.' For example, in at least two scenes, the boom, or microphone could be seen at the top of the screen.
Head Of State is a pretty funny movie from the always funny Chris Rock.
Robin Givens's hotness nicely balances Chris Rock's funniness..
In the theatrical film "Head of State," Chris Rock is the comedy drawing card, earning plenty of laughs in his role as an alderman running a pre-arranged campaign for President.
Bernie Mac shows up midway through the film as his brother, and he's funny, but there isn't enough of him to save the movie.Another thing is the jokes repeat themselves over and over.
Though fun at times, `Head of State' is really just a pale imitation of `Bullworth,' with Chris Rock as the `candidate of the people' who ends up running for President of the United States.
`Head of State' provides a few good laughs, but the film, as a whole, feels woefully unimaginative and predictable.
Bernie Mac provides some variety, lending a taste of his very different, but equally funny, comic persona to the proceedings.All of that being said, however, "Head of State" is still not a terribly good movie.
But I know HBO doesn't pay what movie studios do, and good for Chris Rock for seeing to it he gets paid..
I love Chris Rock and I've watched all of his movies, but this one is not funny...
For years, Chris Rock has shown that he is a great social commentator through his jokes and in this film he shows that once again.
Not only was Chris Rock funny, but Bernie Mac was hilarious, the comedy of Robin Givens was explosive and the premise of the movie was great.
Head of State has a few funny moments, just not enough to sustain its running time.
I used to think Chris Rock was funny in films such as Dogma.
It looks like Chris Rock really did want this movie to have some kind of message, but either he lost his nerve or he did not know what it should say.His alderman is made out to be a good guy who sincerely wants to help people.
It looks like Chris Rock (who should be blamed, because he is the director too) thought he should make his "Dave" or "The American President", but he also wants to make his "wayne's World" too.