Parker Lewis
Twenty four years after Bob Roberts, we elect Donald J. Trump as President of the USA. Tim Robbins must have known something, his finger on the pulse, because watching Bob Roberts is like seeing the current events where a wealthy reality show host/developer becomes President of the USA.Bob Roberts should watched by all students in civics, actually watched by everyone. What's depicted can happen, especially if the candidate, as Bob Roberts did, has a talented team of advisors to be on point and reach out to the masses and key voting groups in key states in the Electoral College.
framptonhollis
"Bob Roberts" is a hilarious and scathing satire that pokes fun at right wing politicians perhaps a little too harshly-but it's still great (and sometimes depressingly accurate) fun. If your politics are anti- Republican/conservative, than you will likely have a ball watching this movie! Right wingers may be a little offended by it, and I can't blame them all too much, since it is so critical of their beliefs, and after a shocking final twist, the main characters are all revealed to be even more scummy than they originally seemed. But, at times, "Bob Roberts" also pokes fun at the media, extreme left wingers (not sure if this satire was intentional, though, but it seems like it), and just the nature politics in general.Tim Robbins writes, directs, and stars in this film-and does a great job, leading a cast of many fine and interesting actors that range from Ray Wise to Jack Black.This is definitely an entertaining watch for those who agree with its politics. For others, it is perfect rage fuel.
ElMaruecan82
Half political satire and half mockumentary, "Bob Roberts" accurately reflects what is wrong with the American political system … and indirectly what is right. The film relates the ascension of a charismatic yuppie from Philadelphia, a 35-year old self-made, a gifted swordsman, guitar player and folk singer named Bob Roberts.Like the most memorable movie characters, Bob Roberts is a man of fascinating contradictions: his conservative views are swept off by his youth, handsomeness and communicative smile while his notorious aversion toward the 60's rebelliousness is expressed through folk songs performed in public à la Bob Dylan.It's not coincidental that the film is Tim Robbins' directorial debut, and that he wrote and starred in it, for it immediately echoes another political classic : "Citizen Kane". When you watch Bob Roberts, you don't have Charles Foster Kane in mind, but as he slowly sinks into the darkest side of his personality, the film gets more distant to its initial satirical tone, and become closer to a powerful character study, scary because true.The strength of "Bob Roberts" is its multi-layered directing, flirting so many tones and styles. The documentary format allows jumping from one scene to another, without caring for its disjointed aspect. We follow Roberts visiting a school, singing in public, being acclaimed by fans or criticized by a journalist, played by Lynne Thigpen. She provides the first interesting insight by calling Roberts a "Machiavellian poseur" even though at that moment, Roberts still strikes as a normal politician. Aren't they all Machiavellian poseurs anyway? But one character regularly pops us as the troublemaker: Giancarlo Espositio plays Bugs Alijah Raplin, a black journalist and activist who discovered the implications of Roberts' anti-drugs foundation with some third-world countries' traffic. Robert's right hand, Lukas Hart III, played by Alan Rickman, has been accused several times but no proof was found whatsoever. According to Raplin, one of the reasons the media doesn't treat the information is because they belong to politicians. Later, an incident during a live TV program proves him right. Bugs' insistence and undesirability inspires a cruel machination against him that will also help Roberts to leverage the number of voters. Bugs, as the attacker who'd turn to be a victim, is an interesting counterpart to the titular character's flamboyance, being everything he's not, he's not an upper class WASP, he doesn't have the same sex-appeal or charisma, he's marginalized by his quest of the truth. The contrast is too obvious though, and I guess the subtle portrayal of Senator Baiste by Gore Vidal, as Roberts' opponent.Vidal embodies the honesty of a politician born with true idealism, a man who has certainly been impacted by James Stewart in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and believed that John F. Kennedy would change America, before the disillusioning aftermath of his assassination. Like Bugs, Baiste is victim of a cruel machination accusing him of abusing an underage girl. He never truly recovers from the accusation in the polls, and as he doesn't believe in "negative campaigning", never strikes back.Baiste's interventions bring the most interesting insights about American politics, and I read in IMDb trivia that most of his statements were improvised, which provides a supplementary level of spontaneity and truth. Baiste is actually not surprised by Roberts' appeal. He knows the guy has connections with the CIA, which had proved to work for Nixon. The film is set at the verge of the first Gulf War, and since the beginning, despite the seemingly diplomatic efforts going on, we know the dice are cast.As the storyline progressed, I felt the film lost its realism, got too sensational, even too radical in its attempt to denounce some extreme wings of American policy. Roberts' fans got more and more demonic, forming a sort of collective trance where Roberts was less a political leader than a modern-day guru. They hear what they want to hear, they don't complain, all they want is to have the right to get their share of the American Dream, and from the mouth of a businessman, the share is not symbolical. Roberts doesn't speak about values, but about greed and success, incarnating a cynical detachment that even the crisis of 1987 hadn't defeated.But while I felt the film went too far after the assassination attempt on Roberts, I realized on a second thought that the film couldn't have been more accurate. Are the manipulations orchestrated by Robert's team unconceivable? Just think of Richard Nixon, think of the way George W. Bush attacked Iraq on the basis of false accusation. Yes, politics is made of lying, as Vidal said, it's all about justifying a threat by taking a local thug and waving its menace as a Hitler-like figure. The same manipulation of the Baiste scandal echoes the way, the Bush camp tried avoided the debate about his enlisting in the Vietnam war. History repeats itself. It's true that the portrayal of radicals flirt with caricature while the realism of movies like "JFK" and "Nixon" didn't make them less flattering about politicians."Bob Roberts" is refreshing because it points the finger on the danger of radical beliefs, and the way they lead to disasters, in the name of so-called values. And since I mentioned "Nixon" and "JFK", I realize that the 90's might be the best decade for political movies, Oliver Stone took the dramatic approach while "Bob Roberts" and "Wag the Dog", another gem of Black comedy, were more satirical but, at the end, more prophetic. Maybe it's due to the fact that the 90's were still close enough to the 70's, so the Nixon's trauma wasn't healed yet, and close enough to the 2000's, so people could foreshadow the fanatical path America was taking.The pedagogic aspect of "Bob Roberts" is undeniable, but it's its prophetic value that makes the whole experience chilling, behind the genuine laughs it generates.
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
It was by chance that I saw this; it was on television, and when I looked it up, I immediately wanted to watch it. This is a mockumentary(staged documentary) about a fictitious campaign, and its satire is biting with a lasting sting. What makes this work so well is that it transcends the politics; this isn't really about Right or Left wing. Roberts uses pure demagogy, peddling easy solutions, and never making it entirely clear what he intends to *do*. Thus, his potential voters themselves fill in the vacuum with how they, personally, think the country should be run. This film excellently points out this danger of democracy, promoting eternal vigilance. It doesn't matter what actual stance Robbins(for the record, I'm not a fan of his) has outside of this movie, it is not relevant. If I had to say anything negative about this, it would probably be that it is arguably quite black and white, but maybe this was intentional, and what it is speaking ill of is not something that should be defended. The writing is sharp, and the script and dialog are marvelous. I enjoyed the numerous references to Bob Dylan immensely. The acting is great(and there are many big names in small roles in this). This was Jack Black's debut, and I'm surprised to say that he's really good in it. The editing and cinematography are well-done. There is a bit of strong language in this. I recommend this to anyone informed enough to appreciate it. Terrifying and memorable. 8/10
