The Age of Commercialism

An Exercise In Nonsense

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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. As co-writer, he helps provide quite a lot of funny times for himself and his comedic cohort, Bernie Mac. As director, he orchestrates the comedic goings-on with a sure and knowing hand, always making sure the proceedings never get too out-there. Yet there is another reason to savor "Head of State," a second factor in making said picture memorable. And that's Robin Givens's portrayal of Rock's ex. As Kim, she employs her high-toned beauty, her poised sexiness, and her unstoppable energy to create a portrait of a greedy, grasping, entirely opportunistic witch whom it is an absolute pleasure to be against. Thanks to her good looks and appeal, she is a bad girl whom it is a fervent delight to see being bad. Her smooth charm and unquenchable hotness nicely balance Rock's "homeboy" funniness and streetwise dynamism. She makes a really and truly worthy adversary for the star. It has been reliably reported that there was initial resistance to casting her in her first cinematic triumph "Boomerang" because there was fear that audiences would boycott said film out of dislike for "The Most Hated Woman in America." Robin Givens's performance in "Head of State" clearly shows that she is the kind of actress who deserves in demand from now until the end of time.

Chris Rock stars in a black comedy (no pun intended) about a black man running for the US presidency. There are a lot of jokes and some are rather funny. Most of the barbs in 'Head of State' are directed towards Republicans. Democrats get off easy as they are portrayed only as spineless wimps! The constraints of the PG-13 rating however prevent Rock from going all out and as a result, the film lacks bite. The film also lacks real political intelligence and skims superficially over the political campaigns. It's still perfectly watchable though with both Rock and Bernie Mac doing a good job.Overall 6/10

In this film, the Vice President, who's the front-runner candidate for office in a coming election, often dispenses with below campaign sound bite at whatever opportunity he gets: "I have been the Vice President for 8 years. I am a war veteran. And I'm the cousin of Sharon Stone. God bless America...and no place else." With lines like these, what's not to like about Head of State? Here's the premise of the film. Both the the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate of a "losing" party died when their planes crashed into each other (don't ask). With the election just weeks away, the party decided to intentionally look for a "loser" replacement candidate; one who will lose at a pegged percentage (not too much, not too little), and yet is capable of winning some "leverage" points for the next round of election. And they found Chris Rock. Enough said. Pardon the cliché, but Head of State has to be seen to be believed. Hell, just its opening credits alone are LOL already. 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. The business of making people laugh is a tough one. And IMO, Chris Rock is one of the best in the business. Can you imagine a fluffier, more convoluted Bulworth crossed with the crude but often logical sensibilities of South Park - The movie? If yes, proceed to imagine lines hurled at you that's as zingy as a Kevin Smith vehicle (both the good and the really bad ones) and blatant slapstick's as throwaway LOL as those Airplane/ Naked Gun movies? Ladies and germs, if you can imagine all that, congrats! Because that is Head of State for you, nutshell cracked wide open. But whether you will swallow the nuts or not (I always chew first, then swallow), will depend largely on your threshold and expectation already. We need not reminders that we all live in ludicrous times now, do we? So why not accord some of that time laughing at it all, relishing in the enjoyment of a film as ludicrously conceived as this one? Personally, I look upon Head of State as a brilliant political comedy. Its charm actually lies in its greater interest in comedy than politics. I am delighted to see this film juggle sly political wish fulfilment with the conscious play-it-up for laughs. Sometimes, strictly for laughs. So yes, I am won over and willingly lap this flick up. Make no mistake, Head of State is a hit and miss movie. But its hits far exceed its misses. In fact, its hit rate is almost comparable to (and arguably higher than) the raunch-assisted Scary Movie. Its (sporadic) intelligence however, far surpasses the entire Waymon Bros output combined. Hmm....its plain to see that the manic sinnerman love this movie. I have not been this entertained in very long time. Hence I shall willingly dispense you all this flick recommendation. If one pop this title into a player at any random night, I do think it will provide willing folks with an antidote release from the blues of a hellish school/work day prior. So people, go hunt for the Head of State now (pun unintended). My word is out. God bless America....and no place else!

Not only did Chris Rock star in this off beat comedy, but the popular comic helped write and directed the film. With some producing credits as well, Chris Rock had the responsibility of wearing 3-4 hats on this film. The end result, Head of State is worth watching at least once. Many critics consider this film a spawn from Eddie Murphy's The Distinguished Gentleman.Unlike Murphy's comedy, Head of State falls between reality and fiction. Murphy's movie was as funny if not more than Head of State, but, unlike Head of State, Murphy produced a realistic possibility. While Rock just wanted to make people laugh, he did not produce a great comedy that can be taken seriously. Still, worth a watch and nothing more.