Robin Williams and Christopher Walken are almost always a pleasure to watch on the big screen. And, although Walken’s role in Man of the Year is small this time out, he delivers an interesting and sound performance. Williams, best here -- as usual -- when allowed to part company with the script’s stiff and unnatural dialogue and improvise his lines, plays a political talk-show host and comedian who decides to enter the U.S. Presidential race.

When Tom Dobbs (Williams) divulges his intention to run for the high office on a live episode of his show, the announcement stuns his manager Jack Menken (Walken) -- but Dobbs's large television audience wholeheartedly supports his candidacy. And the race is on. Soon Dobbs finds himself squaring off in a televised debate with incumbent President Kellogg (David Nichols) and a third aspirant to the high office. At times incoherent but often hilarious, Dobbs gives his two contenders a bewildering run for their money. The hapless debate moderator (Faith Daniels) has her hands more than full trying to impose order.

In other scenes showing Dobbs trying to come across as a serious candidate, his manager tells the comedian to lighten up. The audience wants fun and laughter from this Presidential hopeful -- not boring political speeches. 

The election process itself has problems. Faulty electronic voting machines will determine the winner. That is, if the manufacturers of the machines, Delacroy Industries, can keep an employee, Eleanor Green (Laura Linney) quiet about their product’s shortcomings. The Delacroy people are willing to employ any means short of murder to do so. (Do you think this film is trying to tell us something about the next election?)

Williams’s performance comes across as a hybrid of improvised and scripted dialogue. Having been on set during filming of the movie, I observed writer/director Barry Levinson asking Williams to do scenes as they were written first, and then Williams showing Levinson a piece of paper with lines he came up with so the director would try things the actor’s way. At one point Williams indicated he felt Levinson’s writing was too dry. I agree. Levinson’s dialogue is often  stiff and, at times, even sleep-inducing.

In Man of the Year, Levinson doesn't seem clear about who the hero is. He places too much focus on Linney's character as she attempts to reveal the truth about the defective voting machines. Her jittery, paranoid  dilemma becomes a distraction rather than a necessary part of the story. Its sole purpose? Apparently to make a political statement -- with the director choosing a convoluted way to do so.  

The main problem with this movie involves Levinson's methodical direction and his inability to script authentic-sounding dialogue. He should have allowed Williams to improvise more. After all, Williams’s comedic talents certainly surpass Levinson’s in that area. Still, Man of the Year contains enough humor and drama to make it enjoyable and well worth watching.

(Released by Universal Pictures and rated "PG-13" for language including some crude sexual references, drug related material, and brief violence.)