"Head of State is very funny and at least right now, absolutely essential." Jeffrey M Anderson SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER "Rock keeps the film hoppin', punching along at a strong pace. And, as soon as Bernie Mac pops his head into the picture, the belly laughs start to roll." Ross Anthony HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD "Smart, sharp political satire it's not. But Head of State mixes a few stinging zingers into its generally crowd-pleasing brand of snickers and knee-slappers." Rob Blackwelder SPLICEDWIRE "With Head of State, Chris Rock and Bernie Mac give audiences a much-needed excuse to poke fun at, but also admire, the way US democracy is supposed to work." Kit Bowen HOLLYWOOD.COM "A mostly likable and entertaining political spoof, albeit more slapstick than savvy." Spyder Darling NY ROCK

"Comes closer to capturing Chris Rock's stand-up persona than anything else he's done so far." Marshall Fine JOURNAL NEWS "It's fast and funny and easily the smartest thing Rock has done in a long while." Peter Howell TORONTO STAR "Not the sharpest political humor I've ever heard, but it gets my vote for the stupidest fun I've had in a long time." Michael O'Sullivan WASHINGTON POST "In its unassuming way, it's a most satisfying political satire." David Noh, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "The most gratifying thing is that Mays Gilliam appeals to lots of voters in the film. Not just black or white voters, but everyone who feels disenfranchised with a system in which so many of our leaders are so unlike ourselves." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT

At A Glance

"Head of State is funny, not consistently funny, but VERY, VERY funny in places." ... John Venable SUPERCALA

One of the big problems many successful standup comedians face is how to make the jump from the club and or small screen audience to the big screen. There are three big obstacles they must overcome. The first obstacle is finding the right script to work with, one that allows them to recreate as near as possible, the image that endeared them to their established fan base, yet one which will give them some sort of 'value added' appeal which will attract new fans. The second is the huge expectation that they are going to remain just as funny as they always were or the old 'what you see is what you get' syndrome and this unfortunately, is a trap both comedians and fans alike can fall into. The third is the cold hard fact that very few comedians [in relation to the number of successful club or television performers] make it into the 'big time' when it comes to the 'big screen'. Those who do make it with their first appearance on the big screen soon discover an even bigger obstacle faces them, remaining funny. It ain't an easy job as many have found out, and audiences have long memories. Chris Rock is a pretty funny guy and a comedian many critics hoped would make a real impact on the film industry. He's appeared in some pretty big films starting with "Beverly Hills Cop II" [1987] through to his latest effort "Head Of State". While Rock has failed to so far warm the cockles of those critics hearts his fans have remained [for the most part] faithful to this talented black comedian and they should get a big kick out of seeing him perform in "Head Of State" as America's first black candidate for th office of President of the United States Of America. It's an intense little number that features a barrage of black comedy along the lines of "Barbershop" and "Friday After Next".
So what got Chris Rock started on a film about a black guy running for President? "I've been thinking about doing this movie for a long time," he said, 'it's been kicking around in my head for years. We've all seen movies with a Black President or Vice President, and I've even received movie scripts where a Black guy is President, but the premise was always 'Black President.' I didn't want to make a Black President movie; I wanted to make a movie where a Black guy just happens to be running for President." To do this Chris Rock teamed up once again with Ali LeRoi. The two had previously worked together on the comedy "Down To Earth". "Ali and I sat down and created a scenario where a young, Black guy would get to run for President," Rock says. "It's a film about the little man running for President, just the lowest guy you could imagine getting a shot at the biggest title in the world. It's kind of like 'Rocky,' but in the political arena instead of the boxing arena."
The concept works well, particularly well, with Rock in the lead role of Mays Gilliam a down to earth 'Black' Alderman who suddenly finds himself plunged into the race for the 'White' House. Ali LeRoi explains, We were really trying to take advantage of what his comedy is: He's not politically correct, he is irreverent. He is all of those things. Why not craft a role that's tailored for him to go out and do what he's best at?" Not only does Rock get the lead role but "Head Of State" is also his directorial debut. He admits that he couldn't have done it on his own and is full of praise for those people who gave him the right support throughout the production. "You hire good people and just let them do their jobs, and if you see something going wrong, that's when you step in," Rock explained. "Sometimes it's better to wait and see what they have in mind, especially with the actors. I mean, most of them have been doing it a lot longer and are far more accomplished actors than me." A big plus for "Head Of State" is its cast. Whether they're playing it for laughs or straight down the line, they work well together. And this isn't an all Black line-up either. Heading the supporting cast is the infectious Bernie Mac seen more recently in "Charlies Angels Full Throttle". Both Mac and Rock are good friends and have a good chemistry going. Rock was extremely glad that his friend came on board as Mays Gilliams brother Mitch. "It was a dream come true", he says. "We're both from the old school; we love the same kind of comedy, so we really bonded. We had a great time." And Mac echoes those sentiments saying "Chris and I have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I think he is one of the true comedians, so working with him was a luxury for me." Then adding, "working with Rock on his directorial debut was one of the main draws to do the movie." But what about the fact that the part of Mitch was written especially for him? What would have happened if he'd turned down the role? "They said that had I not done it, they would have had to rewrite the whole character, which was a great compliment to me." With two comedians going at each other there had to be something else to bond "Head Of State" together and that comes from the other cast members. People like award winning actress Lynn Whitfield who was cast in the role of Debra Lassiter.
"I don't know why, but we weren't thinking of her at the time. But she came in and just knocked us out." LeRoi adds, "She read a scene and our heads just spun, like 'Wow.' She really nailed the character. Then it became a question of who could top Lynn Whitfield, and the answer was nobody." So what was Whitfields secret for getting the role? "Honey, I just went in in those spike heels and said, 'Damn it. It's me.' I felt Debra Lassiter in me; I just knew who she was. She's a control freak. She wants to be in charge of everything, and it's very unsettling to her when things are out of her control. She's a power broker who thinks very little of Mays' ability."
Then there's Dylan Baker who stars as Martin Geller, Mays' campaign manager. My character, Martin Geller, is a campaign manager, so no matter what the party is telling him to do, he wants to win. He really starts to get off on Mays' new attitude and begins to think, 'This could work. This guy is speaking to the people through his heart, through his mind. Let's go with it.'"
Mays is up against a formidable opponent who has been Vice President for eight years. Gilliam's opponent is Vice President Brian Lewis, played by a very familiar face, Nick Searcy. "I thought the character was hilarious, and for me to get a chance to do something like this was great because I've mostly done dramatic roles and haven't been in as many comedies. It was fun to play a character like this in his very dignified public persona, and then take the gloves off with this guy, wring him out and hang him up to dry by the end of the movie. He's very duplicitous, and, whether it's true or not, everybody imagines that public figures are very different in their private moments, and this role plays on that." Of course we all know politics is dirty and it can come form both sides.
Senator Arnot is played by James Rebhorn. Senator Arnot has chosen Mays because it suits his own political ambitions. A losing candidate makes him a winner. "He's deeply committed to doing what's best for America, as long as it's what's best for Senator Bill Arnot. He sets up Mays Gilliam for a fall, but when Gilliam starts to build momentum and become a legitimate candidate, it terrifies Arnot because he feels it will jeopardize his chances for success in four years."
There are three women in Mays life. Stephanie March plays a campaign staffer whose job description requires some very specific talents, "She's a super-whore," Stephanie says bluntly, "who was hired to satisfy the candidates in order to keep their sexual peccadilloes in-house. I can't believe I'm saying it, but that's it. I don't think playing a super-whore was negative at all, because, of course, it's all done with a wink. It was obviously meant as a joke, so it was best to just have fun with the role and go with it." And the other two women? Well you know what? I reckon I'll leave that to you. You'll have to find out for yourself when you see "Head Of State".
"Head Of State" is Directed by and stars Chris Rock ["Down To Earth", "Lethal Weapon 4", "Nurse Betty" & "Bad Company"]. It co-stars Bernie Mac ["House Party 3", "Get on the Bus", "Ocean's Eleven" & "Life"], Lynn Whitfield ["Silverado", "Stepmom" & "Gone Fishin"], Dylan Baker ["Road To Perdition", "The Tailor of Panama", "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"], Nick Searcy ["Runaway Jury", "Tigerland", "The Fugitive" & "Fried Green Tomatoes"] and James Rebhorn ["Far From Heaven", "The Talented Mr Ripley" and "Snow Falling On Cedars"]. The Story

"You go to a Chris Rock film to check out his streetwise moves, not to assess his narrative cleverness. This one has more street smarts per shot than most entire films I've seen lately." David Sterritt CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Mays Gilliam is about to become part of the 2004 race for the White House. With the death of the parties candidate and his running partner the movers and shakers must find a candidate who is guaranteed to lose them the election. That candidate is Alderman Mays Gilliam an unassuming Black man whose heart is with the people. Senator Bill Arnot, the party leader, wants a crack at the 2008 election and he sees Gilliam as his future ticket to the presidency. He sets Gilliam up with a crack team and sends him off on the campaign trail. What he doesn't count on is that Mays Gilliam may be Black, he may be a former Alderman but he does have a mind of his own. The campaign is about to hot up. And, it's about to get dirty. Very dirty. The Verdict "If Black humour is your genre, if you'd rather laugh than cry, if you'd prefer to come out of the theatre smiling then check out "Head Of State". It's fast, it's slick, it's rat-a-tat black comedy in that irreverant style only Chris Rock can deliver. A blockbuster it ain't. But it is entertaining. It's isn't for everyone, but there will be plenty out there who would get a belly full of laughs out of "Head Of State"." The Cast

Chris Rock Bernie Mac Dylan Baker Nick Searcy Lynn Whitfield Robin Givens Tamala Jones James Rebhorn Keith David Tracy Morgan Stephanie March Robert Stanton Jude Ciccolella Nate Dogg Angie Mattson Elizabeth Johnson Kirk Penberthy John Badila Ed Wheeler Jamil Shaw Gammy L Singer Ned Eisenberg Reg E Cathey Brad Marshall Patrice O'Neal

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Mays Gilliam Mitch Gilliam Martin Geller Brian Lewis Debra Lassiter Kim Lisa Clark Senator Bill Arnot Bernard Cooper Meat Man Nikki Advisor Mr Earl Himself Nate's Girl Nate's Girl Gaines General Olson James Mr Hawkins Kid Miss Pearl Mike Blake Officer Waters Demolition Man Warren

The Crew Directed by Chris Rock Written Chris Rock & Ali LeRoi Original Music by Marcus Miller & David 'DJ Quik' Blake Non-Original Music by Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams Cinematography by Donald E Thorin Film Editing by Stephen A Rotter Casting by Kim Taylor-Coleman & Vicki Thomas Production Design by Steven Jordan Art Direction by Ray Kluga Set Decoration by Jay Klein & Brian Ziegler Costume Design by Amanda Sanders Production Manager Lenny Vullo Production Supervisor Christine K Walker Run Time 95 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - DreamWorks Distribution LLC - All Rights Reserved © 2003 Multimedia used in the production of this review are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved