Head of State (2003 film)

Head of State is a 2003 American comedy film directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and co-starring Bernie Mac. It marked the directorial debut of Rock, who had previously worked as a writer, producer, and actor.

The film's title refers to one of the key functions of the President of the United States, as the American head of state. This was the last film by cinematographer Donald E. Thorin, who died in 2016, having not worked on a film in thirteen years.

Plot
Mays Gilliam is the alderman for the 9th Ward in Washington, D.C.. After learning he is likely to lose his job and getting dumped by his girlfriend, Kim, Gilliam is surprisingly chosen as the party candidate for the presidency after his party's original presidential and vice-presidential nominees die in a plane crash and he is lauded as a hero for saving a woman from an explosion. Assuming the election was already lost to sitting vice-president Brian Lewis, the party decided to pick a likable but unwinnable minority candidate to improve their chances in the next presidential election.

At first, Gilliam feels he will not be able to succeed as President because he would be representing the entire African-American populace, and does not want to do anything to mess it up. However, Gilliam begins to rise in the polls after his brother persuades him to speak out for what he believes. He begins to talk about issues such as welfare, money, society, etc.

After Lewis runs a series of attack ads including one saying Gilliam supports cancer, Gilliam begins to fight back using what he claimed was "kissing" his opponent (taken from Bugs Bunny–Elmer Fudd cartoons). A part of this strategy includes dubbing a videotape of Osama bin Laden saying he hates America but loves Brian Lewis. This strategy gains Gilliam even more points in the polls.

As voting day draws closer, Gilliam eventually learns the reason why he was chosen as the party candidate, fires some disloyal campaign operatives (although they reconciled with him afterwards), and chooses his brother as his running mate. He later has a debate with his opponent in which he manages to win the crowd over by speaking truth about the American life. Finally, Gilliam ends up winning the election and the presidency. The film ends with a shot of Mount Rushmore with Mays Gilliam's head added, complete with bling.

Cast

 * Chris Rock – Mays Gilliam, accidental candidate to Presidential elections.
 * Bernie Mac – Mitch Gilliam, elder brother of Mays and vice President candidate.
 * Dylan Baker – Martin Geller
 * Nick Searcy – Brian Lewis, incumbent Vice President and strong opposition candidate for president
 * Lynn Whitfield – Debra Lassiter
 * Robin Givens – Kim
 * Tamala Jones – Lisa Clark
 * James Rebhorn – Senator Bill Arnot
 * Keith David – Bernard Cooper
 * Stephanie March – Nikki, executive director of Internal Liaison
 * Jeremy Borash – Wrestling announcer
 * Ron Killings – Himself
 * Nate Dogg – Himself
 * DJ Quik – Musical Score
 * Tracy Morgan – Meat Hustler
 * Ron Harris – Wrestler (uncredited)
 * Jeff Jarrett – Himself
 * B. G. James – Himself

Inspiration
Rock said in HBO First Look that he got the idea from the 1984 Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale, who chose Geraldine Ferraro—a woman—as his running mate. The Democrats knew they had little chance of defeating Ronald Reagan, but selected Ferraro in hopes of gaining female support.

In one scene, Gilliam quotes "The Roof Is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three.

According to the DVD audio commentary, the scene where Gilliam sings "Deep in the Heart of Texas" is a reference to Pee-wee's Big Adventure, where Pee-Wee Herman does the same thing.

Part of the presidential debate is a verbatim repeat of Monty Python's Argument Clinic.

Cameos

 * The ceremonial first pitch scene was filmed prior to a Baltimore Orioles–Toronto Blue Jays game at Camden Yards on August 24, 2002.
 * In the scene where Gilliam makes an appearance for TNA Wrestling, B. G. James is holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title he has never won
 * Boston comedian and actor Jimmy Tingle has the role of a talk show host, in which he interviews Bernie Mac.

Reception
Head of State received generally mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film maintains a score of 31% approval rating from critics, with the critical consensus reading, "Head of State squanders its potentially ripe premise with watered-down satire and formulaic gags." On Metacritic, the film maintains a score of 44/100.

Roger Ebert, writing for Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film 3/4 stars, writing that it's "an imperfect movie, but not a boring one and not lacking in intelligence."