Man of the Year

I am all about low expectations. This is something that's very important to know about me. I have a whole philosophy built around them that I won't get into right now. Let's just say I always strive to keep my expectations as low as possible in order to maximize the number of times in life I am pleasantly surprised while simultaneously minimizing the amount of disappointment felt.

For example, a couple days ago when my girlfriend and I went to the movies I did not expect to find anything interesting playing, but when we got there, we saw up on the big board in great scrolling red LED lettering The Prestige and lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised. See how great my philosophy is? However, we decided to get food and by the time we got back it was sold out and we were disappointed. Why? Because we let our expectations get too high. The only other movie playing that looked even remotely worthwhile was Man of the Year and despite a deep foreboding feeling that accompanies every mention of Robin Williams, we decided to take the plunge.

We really wanted to see a movie. It was one of those cold, rainy days that come so rarely in Seattle and the idea of sitting in a warm, dark theater sounded really appealing. I was not worried. I knew it would be okay because as we waited in line and bought our tickets and while we waited in line to buy popcorn and all through the previews and ads, I focused on my philosophy. By the time the lights went down, my expectations could not have been lower. And yet, two hours later, as the credits started to roll, try as I might, I was overcome by that unmistakable feeling of...utter disappointment.

The film, as it turned out, didn't know what to expect of itself. It didn't know whether it wanted to be a lighthearted satire with bits of drama or a serious drama with bits of lighthearted satire. What it ends up being is confused and this keeps the drama from being too dramatic and the comedy from being too funny. What's infinitely more disappointing than thinking about the $20 I shelled out to see this movie, however, is that the topic addressed, the state of modern American politics, is in such dire need of criticism and reform. Now, of course I don't expect a mainstream movie to do this. I don't expect mainstream movies to revolutionize or reform anything. On the other hand, though, is it too much to expect something fresh and incisive from a film about how politics has been reduced to nothing more than a choice between candidates who could be clones of each other? My philosophy of low expectations says no, but I am beginning to believe there are exceptions to it.