One of the greatest political movies ever made!
Added 2/28/2009
This is a great movie and it becomes more profound as each year passes. I am going to own this movie very soon, because this and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are in my opinion the two greatest political movies ever made.
Tim Robbins does an excellent job of portraying a very deceiving and conniving politician. If your a die hard right wing supporter this movie might make you upset though.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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"Are You a Communist?"
Added 2/17/2009
Still weirdly prescient as it approaches its 20th Anniversary, Tim Robbins' "Bob Roberts" is a mockumentary that skews the far right with a very thick blade. Robbins (who wrote the script, directed and co-wrote the music with his brother) plays Roberts, a smug phony of a candidate running for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He's savvy, smart, plays a mean guitar and isn't above a slew of dirty tricks. His hapless opponent, Senator Brickley Paiste (played to perfection by Gore Vidal), is an over inflated relic who can't keep up with the sneaky slickness of Roberts.
Filmed in a documentary style, the cameras love "Roberts," who seems to have come from a parallel universe where Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan fought against the unions and war protestors instead of with them. Roberts tries to come off as a homey good old boy, when in reality he is a self-made millionaire who has turned his campaign bus into a stock-brokerage on wheels and alludes to making his money on insider trades. At night, he doubles as a singer whose hits blast welfare mothers and those who "complain and complain and complain." He's backed by a shady ex-special forces money man (Alan Rickman, sharp as ever in a mix of Dick Cheney and Oliver North) and Fred Ward as a snake-oil slinging campaign manager.
Only a small lefty newspaper reporter, (Giancarlo Esposito from Do The Right Thing) Bugs Raplin, seems to be onto Roberts' and the backroom dealing that went into Roberts' rise to power. This is where "Bob Roberts" jumps into the balck side of politics and away from the satire. But it does look like a Crystal Ball at some points, like when Roberts blows off a Philadelphia TV reporter who presses him for answers by asking her "Are you a communist?" Substitute "Why do you hate America" and the seen could have been scripted for any year between 2002 and 2007. Much of the movie runs the same course of events with different people (Karl Rove springs to mind).
"Bob Roberts" is also interesting in the prolific cameos offered up. Helen Hunt and Susan Sarando both drop in, as does John Cusak as a pseudo-Saturday Night Live comic angered at a TV appearance for Roberts on their show. Country star Kelly Willis makes numerous appearances as Roberts' female duet partner. (The mock music videos are a hoot, too.) Best of the drop ins, a very young Jack Black as an obsessive Roberts junky. For a movie shot on a shoestring ($60,000) and even sold tickets to a "Dinner With Bob Roberts" to attract extras to a special scene, it looks wonderful.
The lack of a 4th star is due to the DVD transfer, which is scratchy and not as sharp as it could have been. Otherwise, "Bob Roberts" is on a par with other modern poli-satires as Wag the Dog or Bulworth.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Left-wing satire of right-wing politics
Added 6/24/2008
"Bob Roberts" is a mockumentary about the senatorial campaign of a rich folk singer with a set of right-wing beliefs. Written, directed and starring Tim Robbins, who is well known for his left-wing views, this film cleverly satirizes right-wing politics and politicians (and the music of Bob Dylan). I suspect that how people react to this film will largely depend on their own personal beliefs. My beliefs lie somewhere between those of Robbins and his alter ego. I think that few people would have beliefs as far right as those of Bob Roberts, myself included, which makes it possible to laugh at Roberts' views, but at the same time I don't entirely agree with all of the things said by the left wing characters in this film, such as Roberts's senatorial rival (played by Gore Vidal), which are presumably close to Robbins' own views. Still, this is a well made, very funny and often disturbing film (with some really great songs), and regardless of what you believe, it is worth seeing if only to disagree with it (at the very least, it should make you think about who you would vote for if you were given the opportunity - Bob or his opponent).
Watch out for cameo appearances by a large number of well known actors including Susan Sarandon, Jack Black (thinner, younger and in a straight role), Peter Galagher, John Cusack, James Spader, Pamela Reed and Helen Hunt.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Scathing look at politics
Added 2/9/2008
A documentary filmmaker follows the campaign of folk singer-turned-senatorial candidate Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins). Roberts is ultra-conservative, espousing a return to pre-hippie values and saying it's okay to be rich and successful. His crazed fans idolize the flag-waving Bible-thumper but there's one man who casts aspersions on him: Small-time journalist Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito) claims he has evidence Roberts is involved with shading dealings, and Roberts' handlers don't like that one bit.
Tim Robbins wrote and directed this mockumentary, filmed in shaky-cam. It races from one campaign scene to another, painting a picture of a wholesome, inspired candidate who is above reproach - but if you know Robbins, you know it's all done sarcastically and in fact, shows Roberts to be a slick, prepackaged, underhanded liar at best and a law-breaking criminal at worst.
This film makes right-wing politicians out to be nasty and even dangerous hypocrites, so how much you'll like it depends pretty much on your own political slant. For me, it was okay, 3.5 stars. Bottom line: It's a good movie to watch during this election year.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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great film
Added 9/7/2007
Bob Roberts is very funny and if your shrewd enough to understand it all it applies to both parties in many ways and show's how blind Patriotism turns the fool
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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One of the greatest political movies ever made!
Added 2/28/2009
This is a great movie and it becomes more profound as each year passes. I am going to own this movie very soon, because this and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are in my opinion the two greatest political movies ever made.
Tim Robbins does an excellent job of portraying a very deceiving and conniving politician. If your a die hard right wing supporter this movie might make you upset though.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"Are You a Communist?"
Added 2/17/2009
Still weirdly prescient as it approaches its 20th Anniversary, Tim Robbins' "Bob Roberts" is a mockumentary that skews the far right with a very thick blade. Robbins (who wrote the script, directed and co-wrote the music with his brother) plays Roberts, a smug phony of a candidate running for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He's savvy, smart, plays a mean guitar and isn't above a slew of dirty tricks. His hapless opponent, Senator Brickley Paiste (played to perfection by Gore Vidal), is an over inflated relic who can't keep up with the sneaky slickness of Roberts.
Filmed in a documentary style, the cameras love "Roberts," who seems to have come from a parallel universe where Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan fought against the unions and war protestors instead of with them. Roberts tries to come off as a homey good old boy, when in reality he is a self-made millionaire who has turned his campaign bus into a stock-brokerage on wheels and alludes to making his money on insider trades. At night, he doubles as a singer whose hits blast welfare mothers and those who "complain and complain and complain." He's backed by a shady ex-special forces money man (Alan Rickman, sharp as ever in a mix of Dick Cheney and Oliver North) and Fred Ward as a snake-oil slinging campaign manager.
Only a small lefty newspaper reporter, (Giancarlo Esposito from Do The Right Thing) Bugs Raplin, seems to be onto Roberts' and the backroom dealing that went into Roberts' rise to power. This is where "Bob Roberts" jumps into the balck side of politics and away from the satire. But it does look like a Crystal Ball at some points, like when Roberts blows off a Philadelphia TV reporter who presses him for answers by asking her "Are you a communist?" Substitute "Why do you hate America" and the seen could have been scripted for any year between 2002 and 2007. Much of the movie runs the same course of events with different people (Karl Rove springs to mind).
"Bob Roberts" is also interesting in the prolific cameos offered up. Helen Hunt and Susan Sarando both drop in, as does John Cusak as a pseudo-Saturday Night Live comic angered at a TV appearance for Roberts on their show. Country star Kelly Willis makes numerous appearances as Roberts' female duet partner. (The mock music videos are a hoot, too.) Best of the drop ins, a very young Jack Black as an obsessive Roberts junky. For a movie shot on a shoestring ($60,000) and even sold tickets to a "Dinner With Bob Roberts" to attract extras to a special scene, it looks wonderful.
The lack of a 4th star is due to the DVD transfer, which is scratchy and not as sharp as it could have been. Otherwise, "Bob Roberts" is on a par with other modern poli-satires as Wag the Dog or Bulworth.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Left-wing satire of right-wing politics
Added 6/24/2008
"Bob Roberts" is a mockumentary about the senatorial campaign of a rich folk singer with a set of right-wing beliefs. Written, directed and starring Tim Robbins, who is well known for his left-wing views, this film cleverly satirizes right-wing politics and politicians (and the music of Bob Dylan). I suspect that how people react to this film will largely depend on their own personal beliefs. My beliefs lie somewhere between those of Robbins and his alter ego. I think that few people would have beliefs as far right as those of Bob Roberts, myself included, which makes it possible to laugh at Roberts' views, but at the same time I don't entirely agree with all of the things said by the left wing characters in this film, such as Roberts's senatorial rival (played by Gore Vidal), which are presumably close to Robbins' own views. Still, this is a well made, very funny and often disturbing film (with some really great songs), and regardless of what you believe, it is worth seeing if only to disagree with it (at the very least, it should make you think about who you would vote for if you were given the opportunity - Bob or his opponent).
Watch out for cameo appearances by a large number of well known actors including Susan Sarandon, Jack Black (thinner, younger and in a straight role), Peter Galagher, John Cusack, James Spader, Pamela Reed and Helen Hunt.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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