Bob Roberts

Rating:
Summary: PULLEASE
Review: "Bob Roberts" was Tim Robbins first foray into political filmmaking. He draws on his family experience as traveling folk singers and fashions a story of a conservative, religious political candidate who sings family songs on the campaign trail. The film itself is good stuff, well acted and produced, but the message is clear: White conservative Christians are just frauds and cannot be trusted. One watches it and wonders what a truthful depiction of Jesse Jackson would look like. Or an inside look at Joseph P. Kennedy pulling the strings in Jack's Congressional and Senate campaigns? Or the inside deals that kept Teddy Kennedy in office after Mary Jo Kopechne was killed? How about Al Sharpton and the Tawana Brawley incident? "Bob Roberts" is one of those movies that you just watch and shake your head.

Rating:
Summary: Occasionally heavy-handed, but still both funny and chilling
Review: "Bob Roberts," Tim Robbins' 1992 fictional account of the political campaign of a folk-singing conservative businessman, is a remarkable film. Echoing D.A. Pennebaker's 1966 documentary "Don't Look Back" (which covered Bob Dylan's 1965 U.K. tour; a number of scenes in "Bob Roberts" are cribbed directly from the Pennebaker film), "Bob Roberts" follows the title character (played by Robbins, who also directs and writes here) in his 1990 Senatorial campaign against Brickley Paiste, a once-vigorous, but now-weary and increasingly disenchanted New Frontier-era liberal democrat (played by author Gore Vidal). Roberts, who had made a fortune on Wall Street during the '80s, first gains national attention in the late '80s with a pair of critically panned, but commercially successful albums (clever homages to two early '60s Dylan albums) of right-wing country-folk songs. Using his musical fame as a springboard, Roberts embarks on his political career, backed by press aide Chet MacGregor (Ray Wise) and the shadowy Lukas Hart III (Alan Rickman, whose Mephistophelean presence almost steals the movie). Along the way, Roberts is tailed by journalist Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is eventually framed for an assassination attempt on Roberts when he gets too close to uncovering Hart's and Roberts' shady involvement in both the Iran-Contra and S&L debacles of the '80s. Largely viewed at the time of its release as a broad slap at the New Right, in retrospect Robbins is nearly as critical of the Old Left. Vidal's Brickley Paiste is old, tired, and nearly irrelevant (and, sadly, seems to know it). If Robbins is scathing in his indictment of the Right, Paiste symbolizes Robbins' criticism of the Left for their lack of energy and ideas. Given the kind of pasting Democrats received in the '94 election, more of them would have done well to pay attention to Robbins' uncannily prescient warning. Cameos abound. Watch for the likes of Susan Sarandon, Helen Hunt, and others as reporters, as well as country singer Kelly Willis as Joan Baez to Robbins' Dylan. One final note: In a perfect example of life imitating art once again, "Bob Roberts" neatly foreshadowed R.J. Cutler and David Van Taylor's "A Perfect Candidate," a 1996 documentary of Oliver North's 1994 Virginia Senate campaign. Ironically, Cutler had been invited by North's handlers to film the campaign because they had liked his earlier documentary, "The War Room," on which Cutler had worked with - you guessed it - D.A. Pennebaker. Watch all three in chronological order someday if you have the time.

Rating:
Summary: Occasionally heavy-handed, but still both funny and chilling
Review: "Bob Roberts," Tim Robbins' 1992 fictional account of the political campaign of a folk-singing conservative businessman, is a remarkable film. Echoing D.A. Pennebaker's 1966 documentary "Don't Look Back" (which covered Bob Dylan's 1965 U.K. tour; a number of scenes in "Bob Roberts" are cribbed directly from the Pennebaker film), "Bob Roberts" follows the title character (played by Robbins, who also directs and writes here) in his 1990 Senatorial campaign against Brickley Paiste, a once-vigorous, but now-weary and increasingly disenchanted New Frontier-era liberal democrat (played by author Gore Vidal). Roberts, who had made a fortune on Wall Street during the '80s, first gains national attention in the late '80s with a pair of critically panned, but commercially successful albums (clever homages to two early '60s Dylan albums) of right-wing country-folk songs. Using his musical fame as a springboard, Roberts embarks on his political career, backed by press aide Chet MacGregor (Ray Wise) and the shadowy Lukas Hart III (Alan Rickman, whose Mephistophelean presence almost steals the movie). Along the way, Roberts is tailed by journalist Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is eventually framed for an assassination attempt on Roberts when he gets too close to uncovering Hart's and Roberts' shady involvement in both the Iran-Contra and S&L debacles of the '80s. Largely viewed at the time of its release as a broad slap at the New Right, in retrospect Robbins is nearly as critical of the Old Left. Vidal's Brickley Paiste is old, tired, and nearly irrelevant (and, sadly, seems to know it). If Robbins is scathing in his indictment of the Right, Paiste symbolizes Robbins' criticism of the Left for their lack of energy and ideas. Given the kind of pasting Democrats received in the '94 election, more of them would have done well to pay attention to Robbins' uncannily prescient warning. Cameos abound. Watch for the likes of Susan Sarandon, Helen Hunt, and others as reporters, as well as country singer Kelly Willis as Joan Baez to Robbins' Dylan. One final note: In a perfect example of life imitating art once again, "Bob Roberts" neatly foreshadowed R.J. Cutler and David Van Taylor's "A Perfect Candidate," a 1996 documentary of Oliver North's 1994 Virginia Senate campaign. Ironically, Cutler had been invited by North's handlers to film the campaign because they had liked his earlier documentary, "The War Room," on which Cutler had worked with - you guessed it - D.A. Pennebaker. Watch all three in chronological order someday if you have the time.

Rating:
Summary: Wickedly funny; incisive commentary; political hot potato
Review: .
In this pseudo-documentary (think "This Is Spinal Tap"), Tim Robbins plays a Republican candidate for the U.S. senate. Bob Roberts doesn't suggest platforms or programs, so much as just express feelings. And, because he's a folk singer of conservative songs (such as "The Times Are Changin' Back"), he doesn't give speeches -- at any time -- so much as sing songs in political concerts. So his candidacy is largely sheltered from close scrutiny. Despite the time period being an era when incumbents almost always win, Roberts makes it close against his Democratic incumbent opponent, played by Gore Vidal. Vidal's character is hampered by allegations, and the whole thing is a funny, ironic roller coaster.

In his screenplay, Robbins introduces hard questions about political corruption, the military industry, and the demonizing of world leaders in order to support military funding. Today, this is reminiscent of President Bush's "axes of evil" declaration, and the politics may anger some (especially since Saddam Hussein is repeatedly shown as the Evil of the Day). But if you can set that aside, I think you can enjoy this political satire for all that it accomplishes.

A special treat is the myriad actors who float by the screen - - you'll have a lot of fun there, just as you might have enjoyed in "This Is Spinal Tap." In addition to all those who are in the credits (and the list is long!), I think I -also- saw Broadway actor Chip Zein (the Baker from the original "Into The Woods") with a brief line in a crowd scene towards the end. But there are perhaps a good dozen others you'll recognize from other movies (I was about to list them, but stopped in order to maintain some surprise for you).

My one reservation, and it's considerable, is that I think the sound needs to be re-mixed. A number of funny side conversations are lost, and you need to skip back and crank up the volume. This, of course, breaks up the continuity.

Extras include commentary by Robbins and Vidal.

Rating:
Summary: Scariest Horror Movie Ever
Review: A Brave New World for American Politics, but no where near as far flung as Huxley, and much more frightening. This is the Christian Right's manual for taking over the country...

Rating:
Summary: The best political satire ever!
Review: A brilliant, funny, enraging movie - hands down the best political satire/drama since the Manchurian Candidate. Accurately skewers the miserable process of cooptation by the conservative neocons in the US. Fabulous songs, too!

Rating:
Summary: 1-2-3-4! What the hell are we voting for!
Review: A funny mockumentary that pokes holes in our "democratic" process, the media, corporate politics and the lack of insightful initiative in mainstream U.S. journalism and documentary making (leave it to the british to criticize the U.S. campaign process!). Even a nod to Mumia Abu-Jamal. Who knows what Bob Roberts stands for? Who cares? All anyone need know is that he is the "conservative rebel" ("passionate conservative"?/"reformer w/results"?) who strums on the guitar to political "folk" songs with great aplomb and mass commercial appeal. A good reminder of how shallow our democracy has become, and the handholding that is evident amongst big business, media, and government. Yea for tim robbins!

Rating:
Summary: More relevant everyday...
Review: A magnificent film. Not really a satire exactly - more like a thoroughly accurate documentary about conservative fanaticism and religious hypocrisy, focusing on a US Senate candidate who is fictitious in name only. From a technical standpoint, Robbins masterfully imitates the documentary filmmaking style, with its hasty cinematography and incomplete coverage. But the most important element of this film is what it says about the increasingly militaristic American political landscape, and the pious pinheads who cast votes on the basis of the most superficial issues. All the more timely a decade later, now that Bob Roberts is in the White House.

The Bushies, the war lovers, the neo-nazi neo-cons, the empty-headed right-wing bigots won't like this movie. I don't think Tim Robbins is shedding a tear over that.


Rating:
Summary: Superb DVD of a sharp political satire
Review: As many reviewers have already pointed out this is a very smart and funny movie. Extremely well written, acted and directed, and very relevant in light of the recent "voting irregularities" and media manipulation during the 2000 Presidential election. I strongly recommend the DVD version, as it includes three separate feature length Audio Commentaries: The first done by actor/director/writer Tim Robbins in the early 1990s, the second is Tim Robbins and acclaimed author/actor/historian Gore Vidal recorded recently for the DVD edition, and the third audio commentary features editors of the Counterpunch Newsletter who give detailed information and insight into the Iran/Contra scandal and assorted other items routinely avoided by mainstream media. Definately worth watching several times.

Rating:
Summary: Funny Movie
Review: Bob Roberts is a funny movie. I've seen it at least 5 times. The folk songs are especially hilarious. This movie is enjoyable if you don't take everything at face value. The movie's premise is a fake documentary about a Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania. Following him throughout the campaign is very humerous. The only bad thing I can say about Bob Roberts is that it has a tremendous liberal slant, and it will be really offensive to any Republican that watches it. The movie was made with an obvious liberal Democrat agenda. However, if you watch it strictly for entertainment value, it's a pretty good satire.