Rating: 
Summary: He Got Hate
Review: A lot of people have called Spike Lee a racist over the years, but I think those people are missing the bigger picture here. Spike is a misanthrope-he hates all people. "Bamboozled" is his most hate fueled, misguided, diatribe disguised as a film yet.As always he has some good ideas but gets sidetracked into telling a completely different story by the end of the picture. He is trying to do a satire like Mel Brooks'"The Producers" or "Network"(whose Oscar winning screenwriter, Paddy Chayefsky,the movie is dedicated to.) The first mistake is the casting of Damon Wayans, who is essentially a T.V sketch comic whose acting is way too stylised and exaggerated to be believable in this type of material. I'm not going to go into the plot because plenty of other reviewers on here have done that and so it would be redundant.The movie actually starts out pretty good and has a very interesting premise about bringing back "Blackface" humor and stereotypes. But somewhere along the way some very violent things start happening, some of which seem very out of character for the people doing them. Suffice it to say, Spike doesn't seem to know how to resolve the story, so he just starts killing people. A more clever or even humorous resolution to the characters' dilemmas might have made the satire and the points Spike was trying to make more powerful. I will give this movie credit for one thing-weirdness. It is so strange it will definately stick with you. Guaranteed, you will never forget this movie once you have seen it.
Rating: 
Summary: An important American film
Review: This film has stuck with me like few have. By having the guts to be over-the-top offensive - this movie plays like a parable a la Orwell's Animal Farm - Spike Lee peels back the veneer of civility and manners that stifle America's conversation on race. What we find inside is a minstrel show that forces us to ask ourselves: Do I enjoy this? Am I a racist if I do? In the end, we're no longer sure if the media merely exploited ugly images of black people or, in the end, created the images themselves.
Fantastic performances by Jada Pinkett Smith (the film's only "normal" person and, thus, the audience's proxy), Damon Wayans, Michael Rappaport, Mos Def and others. And I was wowed by Lee's use of HD digital tape instead of film - it gives the movie a coarse, gritty feel that becomes a character unto itself without distracting from the story.
Rating:
Summary: Fatally Flawed
Review: As with every Spike Lee film--with the exception of the classic "Do The Right Thing"--"Bamboozled" shows signs of genius, but is fatally flawed by glaring splotches of amatuerish directoral decisions.
In "X" it was the ridiculous insertion of an MGM-like, choreographed dance routine; in "Bamboozled" it is the unbelievably forced vocal styling of Damon Wayans. He doesn't sound "white," which is I guess what Lee was looking for--he sounds like a poorly programmed robot, kind of like Teddy Ruxpin trying to imitate Boris Karloff. It's ridiculous, totally distracting, and it throws into the viewers face from start to finish that they are Watching A Movie. It is impossible to ignore it.
Which is a shame, because otherwise "Bamboozled" would have been a very good, if not great, movie. Thanks to a great actor and a great subject, Lee was still able to turn "X" into a fantastic movie, despite the stupid dance scene. "Bamboozled" doesn't have that kind of impact, and the never-ending robotron dialogue kills it for me.
Rating:
Summary: That's a Wrap...of the highest order....
Review: "Bamboozled" is Spike Lee's best work to date. This independent spirit of the cinema has done it again. Once thought to be the young black Woody Allen of the cinema, he has secured his place in history as the Frederick Douglass of film, calling for the emancipation of the chitlin' circuit into the world of fully recognized human beings. It depicts the struggles of black performers to be considered whole human beings and not just chattle property for white moguls to buy, sell, and trade on the open market. It also illustrates the sub-human status attributed to black people in post-reconstruction America. The reality of this film is very depressing indeed but, it is non-the-less absolutely compelling...This movie is a must see historical document for movie fans of evey persuasion!!!
Rating:
Summary: Spike Lee's Best
Review: This is the movie that got me turned on to Mr Lee. When I rented this movie just a few years ago I watched it 3 times and then watched it with the audio commentary. I found the movie *that* interesting. Also, the movie has a few layers to its plot so each time one watches it, they're sure to pick up on something new. The characters are also great - I especially love Damon Wayan's boss who is a caucasian married to a black woman and tells Damon "I'm more black than you are" From that point on, you know this movie is going to put a lot of stuff in your face. The basic premise - Damon's character is tired of the types of shows with black people that show on tv nowadays. It's all very stereotypical (think this summer's "Method and Red" on fox) and he wants to do something creative. His boss wants something along the lines of "homeboys in outer space". Damon's character is so incensed that he decides he'll get fired in order to break his contract. What could be better for getting him fired than to make the most racist and ignorant show on tv? He decides to make a show called "Bamboozled" which will recreate the blackface shows of the 30s and 40s only it will be black actors putting on blackface. There's only one problem with his plan: the show becomes a hit. The rest of the movie shows what happens to the rest of the characters in the style of a Shakesperean tragedy. In other words, a few things don't quite go according to plan and everyone suffers. (ie Romeo & Juliet, MacBeth, etc) Another thing that makes this movie so awesome is the fictitious commercial spot during the show Bamboozled. Spike Lee takes a pot shot at Tommy Hilfigger's alleged marketing directed at blacks with another brand whose name I can't write or my review will be banned. You'll be shocked, but in a revealing sort of way.
Rating: 
Summary: Some People Just Don't Get It
Review: I have to applaud Spike for making this film. People can argue if he is a racist or not, but on this film he showed how corporate America market their products to black inner city people. I for one used to work in a marketing department at a large corporation and this type of behavior went on all the time. So many times, I had to smile and walk away when I heard "you people" and "those people like stuff like that". What is worst is some black artists (namely rappers) help build on these negative stereotypes. They are NO different from the black actors of the 30s who was paid to demean their race. Instead of black people getting mad at Spike for making these films, I suggest you take your anger out on the real culprits and their marketing schemes. BTW, these culprits come in ALL RACES.
Rating: 
Summary: What I really want is O Stars...
Review: In high school, I tried to convince our African American STudies teacher to plan a field trip to see this movie. He rebuffed me, and when I saw this movie on tape, I knew why. I am glad that I am not the only one who knows Spike Lee is a racist. And a slick one at that. He does these movies and black people go see them (I am black, so don't attack me). Do The Right Thing was horrible, Jungle Fever (he ought to be ashamed) all in the name of "eye-opening" filmmaking. Give me a break Bamboozled...I don't know what to say about this movie. Stereotypes, senseless violence, just downright shameful. There was no message here...except that, we, as black people, sometimes do it to ourselves (ex. Soul Plane? same problem). And helping this man, for the sake of a paycheck is deplorable. Please spare yourself of this film.
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