Head of State    

 
Cast & Credits
Mays Gilliam: Chris Rock
Mitch Gilliam: Bernie Mac
Martin Geller: Dylan Baker
Debbie Lassiter: Lynn Whitfield
Brian Lewis: Nick Searcy

Written and Directed By Chris Rock.

Running Time: 95 Minutes.
Rated PG.

BY CHRISTOPHER NULL / November 25, 1985

Two months before the 2004 presidential election, a major party loses both its presidential and vice presidential candidates in a midair collision. Seeking a replacement candidate, the party settles on Mays Gilliam, an obscure Washington DC alderman who has saved a woman and her cat from a burning building. Gilliam seems to have no chance of victory against Vice President Brian Lewis, whose claim to fame is he's Sharon Stone's cousin, and whose motto is: "God bless America--and no place else." Of course party boss Senator Bill Arnot doesn't really want Gilliam to win--Arnot wants to exploit him as a token black candidate who will lose, but will consolidate the party's hold on the minority vote.  Mays is a patsy, a designated loser whose defeat will clear the way for the ambitious, unscrupulous senator to lead the party to victory in the next election.

Even after getting over his fear of being assassinated, Mays is still reluctant to run, believing he will not be able to live up to the expectations of representing the entire African-American population.  "You just represent yourself," he tells his white advisor, Martin Geller, "I represent my whole race." Obviously, Gilliam wants to avoid making any mistakes. So, surrounded and smothered by professional political handlers provided by Arnot, he plays it safe with bland stump speeches extolling his love for whatever audience he's addressing whether he's speaking to dairy farmers in Wisconsin, churchgoers in Memphis, or cowboys in Texas.  As planned, Gilliam gets no traction in the polls . . . until his brother Mitch persuades him that if he can't win, then he has nothing to lose.  His strategy from that point is obvious: instead of trying to please everyone, he speaks out for what he believes. Mays turns off his teleprompter in Chicago and lets loose with a populist tirade that gets the crowd pumped, exhorting his listeners to be mad about what's wrong:

"How many of you work two jobs, just to have enough money to be broke? How many nurses work in hospitals they can't afford to get sick in? How many of you have credit so bad they won't take your cash?  That ain't right!"

And with that as his new campaign slogan , suddenly Gilliam's a contender.

As as Mays begins to rise in the polls, Lewis runs a series of ridiculous attack ads including one asserting that his opponent supports cancer. Gilliam decides to fight back, but is uncomfortable using various attack ads recommended by his advisors--such one in which a KKK member endorses his opponent.

As voting day draws closer, Mays eventually finds out the reason why he was chosen as the party candidate, fires the disloyal campaign operatives, and then arranges a debate on the issues with his opponent in which he intends to win the crowd--and the election--by speaking plain truths about American life.

ASSIGNMENT

Listen to the NPR interview, and read the online synopsis of the film and assigned supplementary articles "Did Hollywood Pave the Way for Obama?" and "Breaking New Ground". Then using your knowledge of the Constitution, the government, and elections in the United States, answer the following questions:
  1. How many black presidents have been portrayed in movies and television since the 1950s?
  2. When was the first time a fictional black president was shown in the media in the United States?  When was the first time a fictional woman president was shown in the media in the United States?
  3. Who was the first serious African-American candidate for president in the United States, and when was did they campaign?
  4. Does Professor Boyd think there is a significant difference in whether the portrayal of a black president appears on television or in movies?
  5. What does Joshua Alston think about these first portrayals of a woman and a black president?
  6. According to Alston, what were the first serious portrayals of minority presidents in the media.  Does he think that these were realistic?  Why or why not?
  7. Does Alston think Hollywood has helped or hurt Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama's chances of becoming president?  Does Professor Boyle think Hollywood has helped or hurt these candidates chances of becoming president?
  8. Give your own opinion as to whether the media helped create the environment in which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could successfully run for President.

Write out your answers on the Honors Government Blackboard Discussion Board no later than midnight midnight Sunday, March 16.

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