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Head of State is a 2003 comedy film directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and also co-starring Bernie Mac. The film's title refers to that function of the President of the United States, the other two functions being head of government and commander in chief.

Plot[link]

Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is an alderman of the 9th Ward in Washington D.C.. After being fired from his post and dumped by his girlfriend, Kim (Robin Givens), Mays is surprisingly chosen as the party candidate for the presidency (after his party's original presidential and vice-presidential nominees die when their two separate planes crash into each other) to run against sitting vice-president Brian Lewis. Assuming the election was already lost, the party decided to pick a likable but unwinnable minority candidate to improve their chances in the next presidential election. At first, Mays 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, Mays begins to rise in the polls after his brother(Bernie Mac) 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 Mays supports cancer, Mays 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 Mays even more points in the polls. As voting day draws closer, Mays eventually learns the reason why he was chosen as the party candidate, and fires some disloyal campaign operatives (although they reconciled with him afterwards), as well as choosing 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, Mays 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.

Inspiration[link]

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.

Cast[link]

• Chris Rock – Mays Gilliam
• Bernie Mac – Mitch Gilliam
• Dylan Baker – Martin Geller
• Nick Searcy – Vice President Brian Lewis
• Lynn Whitfield – Debra Lassiter
• Robin Givens – Kim
• Tamala Jones – Lisa Clark
• James Rebhorn – Senator Bill Arnot
• Keith David – Bernard Cooper
• Stephanie March – Nikki
• Ron Killings – Ron "The Truth" Killings (Credited as Ronnie Killings)
• Nate Dogg – Himself
• DJ Quik – Musical Score
• Leonard A. Anderson – Stunt Man
• Tracy Morgan – Meat Guy
• Armando Benavides– Ambulance Guy
• Ron Harris– Wrestler (uncredited)
• Justin Dixon– Little kid in audience

Allusions[link]

• Part of the presidential debate is a verbatim repeat of Monty Python's Argument Sketch.
• Mays Gilliam's name is a reference to Willie Mays, one of the first African Americans to play in Major League Baseball.
• Mays Gilliam's name also is a reference to Jim Gilliam, a former Negro League baseball player who played in Major League Baseball. Jim Gilliam played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the 1953 NL Rookie of the Year.

Cameos[link]

• In the scene where Mays makes an appearance for TNA Wrestling (a legitimate promotion), B.G. James is holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title he has never held.
• Keith David had a small role as Bernard Cooper who is shown to have purchased Mays' car in a repo auction.
• Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) sings part of the song "Fire Water Burn".
• Boston comedian and actor Jimmy Tingle has the role of a talk show host, in which he interviews Bernie Mac.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Head of State at the Internet Movie Database
• Head of State at AllRovi
• Head of State at Box Office Mojo