The Kulturecast
The Kulturecast
Weirding Way Media
Man of the Year
1 hour 41 minutes Posted Mar 26, 2025 at 6:00 am.
0:00
1:41:44
Download MP3
Show notes
Mike White March limps across the finish line with Man of the Year (2006), a film that asks: what if a late-night comedian accidentally became president due to a voting machine glitch? Cullen Gallagher joins Chris Stachiw and Mike White to unpack Barry Levinson’s bizarre genre mash-up that starts as political satire, swerves into romantic drama, and crashes into full-blown techno thriller. Robin Williams stars as a Jon Stewart-esque figure who suddenly finds himself in the Oval Office—not because of charisma, but because of...a software bug?

It’s a premise that felt far-fetched in 2006 and now feels like a documentary from an alternate universe. From clunky tone shifts to baffling plot twists, the trio digs into what Man of the Year was trying to say—and why it fails so spectacularly.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast