Editor’s note: Due to a technical glitch, an incomplete version of this story ran in the Friday Show section. This is the full version:
Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson was in the middle of explaining why he returned to the political arena in his new film “Man of the Year” when the door to his Los Angeles hotel suite flew open.
In popped a familiar face speaking in an unfamiliar foreign accent, first apologizing for his unpolished command of the language, and then describing himself as a room-service waiter sent to remove the filmmaker’s breakfast dishes from the room.
The visitor jumped into a stream-of-consciousness monologue on a puzzling mix of subjects, ranging from the United Nations (he claimed that he had spoken to the world body earlier in the day on the subject of noted scholar Noam Chomsky’s latest book) to Levinson’s conservative blue suit (“Will the defendant please rise!”)
Levinson didn’t blink. He seemed unfazed by the disruption, as if he had seen it all before. He simply smiled and welcomed the visitor.
“Hi, Robin,” he said warmly.
Levinson and Robin Williams, the star of “Man of the Year,” which opened Friday, shared a hearty laugh before the actor returned to his own room to begin a long day of interviews to promote the film, in which he stars as a comic who runs for president of the United States, and then is elected because of a computer glitch.
In fact, Levinson has seen it all before. He directed Williams to an Oscar nomination and a career breakthrough in the 1987 film “Good Morning, Vietnam.” He directed him again five years later in “Toys.”
Although the new film’s protagonist is modeled after one or more of cable television’s hot political comics (the likes of Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert), Levinson said only Williams could have pulled it off.
“A lot of comics can be funny,” the director said, “but I needed a comic who has enough credibility that people could believe that he could navigate the political waters and run for office. I think people look at Robin and sense that he is smart.”
“Man of the Year,” which also stars Laura Linney as the computer technician who discovers the glitch and blows the whistle on her own company, began for Levinson out of frustration following the 2004 elections.
“I was so fed up with the malfunctioning voting machines and the whole election process that I sat down and started writing op-ed pieces for different newspapers, but I couldn’t get any of them published.
“Then I remembered that I’m a screenwriter.”
Levinson not only wrote the new film, but has a long list of screenwriting credits, including a trio of Oscar-nominated scripts – “And Justice for All,” “Diner” and “Avalon.”
“I don’t know why I even bothered trying to write op-ed pieces,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m a screenwriter. That’s what I do. That’s how I make my opinions heard.”
Levinson, 64, said the opinion that he wanted to get across in this film is that the voting system in this country is in serious trouble.
“The movie reflects my belief that we have a greater problem in the upcoming election than whether we have a Democrat or a Republican elected. Between special interests and the incompetence of our voting machines, we are in deep trouble.
“At the heart and soul of this country is the belief that your vote counts. Well, maybe it doesn’t.”
In “Man of the Year,” Williams’ character is the host of a political comedy show, and at the urging of his audience, he throws his hat in the ring. A problem with the computer that counts the national vote results in a shocking election outcome.
“There are problems that must be addressed if we are to continue to function as a democracy,” the director explained.
If it sounds as if Levinson has returned to the biting satire of his last political film, “Wag the Dog,” in which White House aides hire a Hollywood producer to stage a phony war to distract the public from problems surrounding the presidency, you’re only half-right.
“Man of the Year” has some bite, but not nearly as much as the 1997 “Wag the Dog.”
“That’s intentional,” Levinson said. “A writer writes in the times he’s in.
“In 1997, it was a more optimistic period, so the satire had to be darker and more cynical to get people’s attention. Right now, we are in a very dark and cynical period, so the satire needs to be more optimistic. I don’t want to preach to the converted; I want everybody to see my movie. Red state, blue state; you can take away from this film whatever you want to take away from it.”
DRIFTING INTO SHOW BIZ
A Baltimore native (as if you didn’t know, considering that many of his early films were based there), Levinson moved to the Los Angeles area after graduating from American University in Washington, D.C.
He had no idea what he was going to do with his life, and he spent most of his days hanging out at the beach.
One day, a friend asked for a ride to an acting class. He drove his friend to class every day and later joined the class for no better reason than he was tired of wasting two hours waiting for his friend to finish.
“I never wanted to be a performer, but I did enjoy getting laughs doing improv with another student in the class, Craig T. Nelson. The two of us later put together an act and began performing in comedy clubs.”
After the act broke up, Nelson went on to pursue acting (he’s best known as “Coach” on television), and Levinson found a new performing partner in Valerie Curtin (she became his first wife). They co-wrote “And Justice for All.”
Levinson drifted into television writing, and won two Emmys for his work on “The Carol Burnett Show.” Many years later, he returned to the small screen with the critically lauded series “Homicide: Life on the Street.”
The years in between were spent on the big screen, first as a member of Mel Brooks’ writing team, where he worked on “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety” and “History of the World – Part I.”
He got a chance to direct his own screenplay in 1982 with the semi-autobiographical classic “Diner,” which helped to launch the careers of Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg and Ellen Barkin.
A string of successful movies followed – “The Natural,” “Young Sherlock Holmes,” “Tin Men,” “Good Morning, Vietnam” – but Levinson’s stock rose considerably with the release in 1988 of “Rain Man.” It not only won an Oscar for Best Picture, but moved Levinson into the ranks of Oscar-winning directors.
Other films came and went (“Bugsy” was probably the best of the lot), but it wasn’t until “Wag the Dog” that Levinson seemed to find his stride again.
The well-received film was a cautionary tale that proved to be prophetic. Now, he’s made another political film, and one wonders if he expects this one to strike a similar chord with the public.
Contact the writer: 714-796-5051, ext. 1110, or bkoltnow@ocregister.com
