Man of the Year is actually two stories- an out-an-out comedy and a political thriller. Popular TV comedian Tom Dobbs has made a career from skewering politicians and speaking the mind of the exasperated nation on his talk show. One night a flippant comment about the poverty of the party political system and possibility of Dobbs standing for President ignites a grassroots movement that puts him on track to the White House. Along the campaign trail Dobbs makes a mockery of the two-party political system, and pokes fun at such hot topics as gay marriage, flag burning and even takes on the antics of some past presidents. Finally, Dobbs debates the two other presidential candidates on TV, speaking for the frustrated masses, and the new computerised voting system delivers him victory. Unfortunately computer analyst Eleanor Green discovers a critical fault that makes the result invalid and her life is put in danger as she tries to tell Dobbs the truth. As expected, the storys pop-culture relevance and the comedic timing of Robin Williams prop up the comedy side, while an exciting thread involving Eleanor buoys the thriller side. Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum round out a well-chosen cast.After watching Man of the Year, I started to think about what would happen if an actual celebrity were elected president - I know a few of my friends would vote Johnny Depp for President and Jessica Alba as Secretary of State!? '

A leftover bomb from WWII explodes in Pimlico, London and reveals two things: a fortune in mediaeval gold coins and documents revealing that this tiny borough of central London is really under the authority of the Duke of Burgundy, France. The locals declare independence from an unpopular national government (and, coincidentally, get to keep the treasure).Soon theres a new government, customs officials at the border - and a siege, with English forces cutting off electricity and food supply - which, curiously enough, the people of Pimlico, with a staunch national identity about 24 hours old, actually rather like. They already harbour a secret nostalgia for the days of the Blitz. Or, if they didn't, at least the British audiences of the day did.Like other Ealing Studios comedies, this assembles a crack cast of actors with impeccable timing and looniness, but won't entirely play things for laughs. Perhaps the film works so well as escapism because it can't quite bring itself to ridicule the sense of communal solidarity, something for which we're all secretly nostalgic. (Whether we've ever actually experienced it before is, of course, beside the point.)'