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Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins, 1992)
Razor-sharp political satire masquerading as a documentary about rich Republican folk singer (!?!) Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins) who's running for Senator of Pennsylvania in 1990. A British documentarian (Brian Murray) accompanies Roberts on his campaign tour bus and records various events, concerts, TV appearances and a few privileged private moments. Roberts is running against incumbent Democrat Brickley Paiste (who else but Gore Vidal?) who seems to begin losing his lead in the polls after a newspaper account of him in a compromising position with a teenage girl, although Paiste claims the whole thing is a smear campaign. Another recurring character is Bugs Raplin (Giancarl Esposito) who follows Roberts throughout the state and confronts him with some dirt he's dug up on the singer.
This video is a little sloppy, but it'll give you a good taste of the songs.
I realize that your enjoyment of this film may divide along your political leanings, but I don't see how anyone who enjoys politics AND satire would not find much of this film downright hilarious. I'll start with the great songs themselves. Tim and his brother Dave wrote the songs and they are extremely accurate in espousing the conservative platform, but they are also so up front about it, that they become far more amusing than you could imagine. Besides that, those are some pretty catchy folk tunes and Robbins is a pretty good singer. Then there are the titles of Roberts' first three albums: The Freewheelin' Bob Roberts, The Times are Changing Back and Bob on Bob. They all satirize Dylan and of course earn extra points from me for twisting Dylan's politics into something right wing. The cast is really quite incredible too. It's got numerous stars in roles of newscasters, as well as a surprising number of up'n'comers, including Jack Black as one of Roberts' biggest fans. I'm not saying that Bob Roberts is "fair and balanced", but that's why it's so damn funny. It couldn't be anywhere nearly as effective if it played fair. Now I, for one, would definitely be interested in seeing an accomplished political satire where the roles are reversed. I laugh at and make fun of liberals all the time. I think politics is a pretty disgusting thing and I don't trust any politicians, so that's why I think that Bob Roberts hits a bullseye, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Razor-sharp political satire masquerading as a documentary about rich Republican folk singer (!?!) Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins) who's running for Senator of Pennsylvania in 1990. A British documentarian (Brian Murray) accompanies Roberts on his campaign tour bus and records various events, concerts, TV appearances and a few privileged private moments. Roberts is running against incumbent Democrat Brickley Paiste (who else but Gore Vidal?) who seems to begin losing his lead in the polls after a newspaper account of him in a compromising position with a teenage girl, although Paiste claims the whole thing is a smear campaign. Another recurring character is Bugs Raplin (Giancarl Esposito) who follows Roberts throughout the state and confronts him with some dirt he's dug up on the singer.
This video is a little sloppy, but it'll give you a good taste of the songs.
I realize that your enjoyment of this film may divide along your political leanings, but I don't see how anyone who enjoys politics AND satire would not find much of this film downright hilarious. I'll start with the great songs themselves. Tim and his brother Dave wrote the songs and they are extremely accurate in espousing the conservative platform, but they are also so up front about it, that they become far more amusing than you could imagine. Besides that, those are some pretty catchy folk tunes and Robbins is a pretty good singer. Then there are the titles of Roberts' first three albums: The Freewheelin' Bob Roberts, The Times are Changing Back and Bob on Bob. They all satirize Dylan and of course earn extra points from me for twisting Dylan's politics into something right wing. The cast is really quite incredible too. It's got numerous stars in roles of newscasters, as well as a surprising number of up'n'comers, including Jack Black as one of Roberts' biggest fans. I'm not saying that Bob Roberts is "fair and balanced", but that's why it's so damn funny. It couldn't be anywhere nearly as effective if it played fair. Now I, for one, would definitely be interested in seeing an accomplished political satire where the roles are reversed. I laugh at and make fun of liberals all the time. I think politics is a pretty disgusting thing and I don't trust any politicians, so that's why I think that Bob Roberts hits a bullseye, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.