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Review

OK, so we all know that Chris Rock as President ain't gonna happen, but amidst its ridiculous fictions, Head of State manages to point its gaze at the sad realities of the simplistically persuasive nature of American politics. In order to make its party look good for the future, a group grooms Rock, a Washington DC alderman, for a presidential campaign that they're sure he'll lose. But when he begins telling it like it is in various worker's communities, he turns some heads and some hearts with his ambitions. The film has some interesting things to say about the numbing, monotonous pre-packaged feel of most presidential campaigns, with parties presenting plans that oft-times ignore the reality of the people who must live with its lofty goals. These ideas open Head of State up to be a much more clever satire than it ultimately becomes. Taking more of the low road, the film becomes complacent with silly punchlines rather than harsh attacks on policy. Rock directs this venture in a paint-by-numbers kind of way, but his charm along with hilarious work from talented comic Bernie Mac, helps to move the film along, providing a number of effective jabs along the way.