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Head of State (2003)
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Reviews Counted:115
Fresh:35
Rotten:80
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Head of State squanders its potentially ripe premise with watered-down satire and formulaic gags.
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Celebrated comedian-writer-actor-talk show host Chris Rock can now add film director to his resume. Cowritten by Rock and Ali LeRoi, HEAD OF STATE follows an unassuming Washington D.C. alderman,... Celebrated comedian-writer-actor-talk show host Chris Rock can now add film director to his resume. Cowritten by Rock and Ali LeRoi, HEAD OF STATE follows an unassuming Washington D.C. alderman, Mays Gilliam (Rock), as he finds himself embroiled in a presidential election. Just weeks before the nation is about to elect a new president, one of the top candidates is killed in a plane crash. Plotting a future run in 2008, Senator Bill Arnot (James Rebhorn) convinces his staff--Debra Lassiter (Lynn Whitfield) and Martin Geller (Dylan Baker)--to pick a replacement who has no chance of winning. But he gets more than he bargained for when he selects Mays. At first merely thankful to be in the spotlight, Mays plays the puppet, but eventually, he uses his power to actually say something meaningful. And when he selects his bail bondsman brother, Mitch (Bernie Mac), to be his running mate, everyone is shocked to discover that Mays is giving the people exactly what they want. Rock uses his natural ability to blend humor and substance as a director, resulting in an entertaining film that pushes buttons without leaving too deep a mark. [More]
Starring: Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Dylan Baker, Tamala Jones
Starring: Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Dylan Baker, Tamala Jones, Lynn Whitfield, James Rebhorn, Nick Searcy, Robin Givens, Tracy Morgan, Nate Dogg
Director: Chris Rock
Director: Chris Rock
Screenwriter: Chris Rock, Ali Leroi
Producer: Ali Leroi, Michael Rotenberg, Chris Rock
Composer: Marcus Miller
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
Reviews for Head of State
Not merely satisfied with stereotyping whites, Rock insists on taking shots at blacks, fat people, poor people and even spina bifida patients.
Chris Rock suffers from painful verbal constipation in this PG-13 clunker. Hollywood, make it NC-17 when Chris and Bernie run for re-election.
Although a reheated formula, Head of State dishes out a few original laughs due to in part to the writing of Chris Rock.
It may be an overly simplistic fantasy, but it's a funny one, and you won't find anything at the cineplex more relevant.
Rock serves as star, director, co-writer, and co-producer, so he can’t point fingers at anyone else when the film loses its way.
With the whole country watching him, Chris Rock has absolutely nothing of substance to say.
Like so many of his other films, it's still not the movie that Chris Rock’s fans know he’s capable of making.
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