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“Head of State” Offensive But Funny

By Meridith M. Miller
Black College Wire

Chris Rock plays presidential hopeful Mays Gilliam in "Head of State."

Just when the White House was thought to be safely under the talentless leadership of George W. Bush, DreamWorks presents "Head of State" presidential hopeful Mays Gilliam, an even more outrageous candidate. Gilliam, played by "Head of State" writer and director Chris Rock, is chosen to fill the spot of a Democratic candidate who dies in a plane crash in the middle of his campaign. As an alderman from Washington, D.C., Gilliam is picked to aid the agenda of corrupt Democratic officials who are setting him up to run a race he can't win.

In a warm-hearted yet predictable turn of events, Gilliam takes the advice of his brother Mitch Gilliam (Bernie Mac), and begins to think and speak for himself. Gilliam picks his brother as his running mate, and together they take the people of the United States by surprise with their uninformed antics and boisterous appeal.

Although they don't know much about politics, the brothers do possess one quality that has been absent in other candidates in both fiction and reality: genuine care and concern for the people. With streetwise compassion and the campaign slogan "That ain't right," Gilliam claims an unexpected victory in the presidential debate and continues to win the election.

Carried through the film by humor, viewers are left wondering whether the film was delightfully funny or painfully offensive by the time the end credits scroll. With some stereotypical cast members and presumptuous jokes, "Head of State" lands in the "I know this is really wrong, but I'm still going to laugh anyway" category. Fortunately, the film did exhibit some balance. The gold-digging, angry black female played by Robin Givens was complemented by sensible, hard-working Lisa Clark (Tamala Jones) and the professional and reformed Democratic adviser (Lynn Whitfield).

Gilliam was a little rough around the edges, but his character was no dummy. He was also a hard-working, focused, and dedicated member of his community. For his first attempt at directing, Chris Rock deserves a round of applause. It is always refreshing to see a black actor explore his talents on- and off- screen. Now, all that's needed is a strictly comedic black film with twice the laughs and half the stereotypes.

Meridith M. Miller is a student at Tennessee State University who writes for The Meter.

Posted April 7, 2003