Bob Roberts

Last updated
Bob Roberts
Bob roberts poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tim Robbins
Written byTim Robbins
Produced byForrest Murray
Starring
CinematographyJean Lépine
Edited by Lisa Churgin
Music by David Robbins
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 4, 1992 (1992-09-04)
Running time
104 minutes [2]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.9 million [3]
Box office$8 million [4]

Bob Roberts is a 1992 American satirical mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. [5] It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election. Roberts is well financed, due mainly to past business dealings, and is well known for his folk music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto. Many of the scenes mimic scenes from Dont Look Back

Contents

The film is Robbins' directorial debut and is based on a short segment of the same title, featuring the same character that Robbins portrayed on Saturday Night Live . It marked Jack Black's film debut. [6]

Plot

Bob Roberts takes place in Pennsylvania in 1990. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between a conservative Republican folk singer, Bob Roberts, and the incumbent Democrat, Brickley Paiste. The film is shot through the perspective of Terry Manchester, a British documentary filmmaker who is following the Roberts campaign. Through Manchester's lens we see Roberts travel across the state and sing about drug users, lazy people and the triumph of traditional family values and laissez-faire capitalism over the rebelliousness and social justice causes of the 1960s. Even though the Roberts campaign team officially avoids manifestations of open bigotry, their songs, speech and mannerisms are rife with snobbish dog whistles and racist and sexist innuendos, and Manchester's footage reveals casual use of homophobic slurs.

Complementing Manchester's neutral perspective are reflections by Senator Paiste, TV anchor Kelly Noble and investigative reporter Bugs Raplin, among others. Paiste is convinced that Roberts is a master manipulator linked to the National Security Council, the CIA and the military–industrial complex. Throughout the campaign, Raplin attempts to use the documentary being made about Roberts to expose him to the public as a fraud. Raplin believes that Roberts' anti-drug charity, Broken Dove, is connected to an old CIA drug trafficking scheme, citing Roberts' campaign chairman Lukas Hart III's past in the Phoenix Program as proof. Shortly after an acerbic and disastrous interview with Roberts, Kelly Noble points out that his potential for success comes from subverting stereotypes by using his music, a tool of protest typical of the left during the counterculture years, as a vector for postmodern far-right politics.

As the campaign continues, Paiste remains in the lead until a scandal arises involving him and a young woman who was seen emerging from a car with him. Paiste claims that she was a friend of his granddaughter whom he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations. Roberts' campaign suffers a setback as well, when Raplin's accusations briefly gain traction and result in a subpoena on Lukas Hart III for unpaid housing loans rumored to be redirected to drug trafficking.

As the election approaches, Roberts is asked to appear on a network's sketch comedy show. When Roberts announces that he will not be playing the song he had originally proposed, a dispute breaks out between the cast and producers of the show. This new song turns out to be nothing more than a thinly veiled campaign endorsement, and an angry staff member of the network pulls the plug mid-performance. As Roberts is leaving the studio, he is seemingly shot by a would-be assassin. Raplin, who has been causing problems for the campaign, is initially linked to the shooting, but he is later cleared when it is found that due to constrictive palsy in his right hand he physically could not have fired the gun. Following the incident, Raplin contends that Roberts was never actually shot and that the gun was fired into the ground. Raplin's allegations are not confirmed on camera by Roberts campaign member Delores Perrigrew when she is questioned by Manchester, but she does show clear signs of remorse and abruptly quits the campaign.

The campaign is boosted by public support following the assassination attempt, and Roberts wins the election with 52 percent of the vote. Although Roberts claims that his wounds have left him paralyzed from the waist down, he is seen tapping his feet at a celebration party. While Terry Manchester is interviewing Roberts' supporters outside the new senator's hotel, a boy runs up shouting, "He's dead, he's dead, they got him!" When Manchester asks him what he is talking about, the boy shouts, "Bugs Raplin! He's dead! They got him!" A joyful celebration breaks out among Roberts' supporters, the shot changes to an image of his hotel room, and an upright walking shadow suggesting Roberts' profile passes the window before the lights go out. The film ends with a radio news report about Raplin's death at the hands of a right-wing fanatic and a shot of Manchester standing in the Jefferson Memorial, looking at the words, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man", inscribed there.

Cast

Style

The film's style is drawn from a number of real and mock documentaries, and its shots are crafted to create this effect, in many cases through the use of hand-held cameras. Not only does Roberts' character draw from 1960s-era iconography of Bob Dylan, it also contains scenes inspired by the 1967 documentary, Dont Look Back , made about the singer, employing a similar cinema verité style. [7] [8] Bob Roberts also draws from Rob Reiner's 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap which Robbins states is one of his favorite films, [9] and directly references this during the scene in which Roberts gets lost in an auditorium attempting to find the stage before his performance. In the case of Gore Vidal's character, the majority of the lines were not scripted, and instead Vidal based his role upon his own political beliefs, and his real-life positions on many of the fictional election topics. [10] [11]

A soundtrack album was not released because Robbins did not wish the songs to be heard outside the context of the film. [12]

Reception and legacy

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 93% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Its consensus reads: "Behind and in front of the camera, Tim Robbins delivers a landslide comedic victory with Bob Roberts – a shrewdly crackling lampoon of modern politics." [13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70% based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [14] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F. [15]

Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating, "I like Bob Roberts – I like its audacity, its freedom to say the obvious things about how our political process has been debased." However, Ebert also stated that the thread about the investigative journalism doesn't work, commenting "if [the film] had been only about campaign tactics and techniques, I would have liked it more." [16]

While critics and audiences responded to this film by connecting Roberts’ character to various political figures, such as George H. W. Bush and Pennsylvania Representative and later Senator Rick Santorum, Robbins has said that the film related more to the political system in general than any specific politician. Much of Robbins' commentary addresses the role of the media in election campaigns. [17] Some have critiqued Robbins for his approach toward political satire, stating that his references to Reagan Era politics and the rebelliousness of the 1960s are simply too anachronistic in the context of the 1990s, [18] [19] but others have praised it for framing political commentary as a Hollywood comedy. [20] In 2018, Robbins said: "Bob Roberts came true", referring to President Donald Trump. [21] In July 2024, following an attempted assassination of Trump, a conspiracy theory emerged that it was staged akin to what happens in Bob Roberts. Robbins condemned the theory, writing on X, "Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset." [22]

The film grossed $4.5 million in the United States and Canada and $8 million worldwide. [4] [23]

Awards

The film won the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack/Sound Design at Film Fest Gent in 1992.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Taxi Driver</i> 1976 film by Martin Scorsese

Taxi Driver is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a morally decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle, a veteran Marine and taxi driver, and his deteriorating mental state as he works nights in the city.

<i>JFK</i> (film) 1991 American thriller film directed by Oliver Stone

JFK is a 1991 American epic political thriller film written and directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, who came to believe there was a conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald was a scapegoat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Altman</span> American filmmaker (1925–2006)

Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and satirical films with overlapping dialogue and ensemble casts. Over his career he received several awards including an Academy Honorary Award, two British Academy Film Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for seven competitive Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore Vidal</span> American writer (1925–2012)

Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the social and sexual norms he perceived as driving American life. Vidal was heavily involved in politics, and unsuccessfully sought office twice as a Democratic Party candidate, first in 1960 to the United States House of Representatives, and later in 1982 to the United States Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Cronkite</span> American broadcast journalist (1916–2009)

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll. Cronkite received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award and in 1981 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.

<i>Duel in the Sun</i> (film) 1946 film by King Vidor

Duel in the Sun is a 1946 American epic psychological Western film directed by King Vidor, produced and written by David O. Selznick, and starring Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, and Lionel Barrymore. Based on the 1944 novel of the same name by Niven Busch, it follows a young orphaned Mestiza woman who experiences prejudice and forbidden love, while residing with her white relatives on a large Texas ranch.

<i>The Parallax View</i> 1974 US political thriller film by Alan J. Pakula

The Parallax View is a 1974 American political thriller film starring Warren Beatty, with Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss in support. Produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula, its screenplay is by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on the 1970 novel by Loren Singer. The story concerns a reporter's investigation into a secretive organization, the Parallax Corporation, whose business is political assassination.

<i>Caligula</i> (film) 1979 film by Tinto Brass

Caligula is a 1979 erotic historical drama film about the rise and fall of controversial Roman Emperor Caligula. The film stars Malcolm McDowell in the title role, alongside Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Steiner, and John Gielgud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Robbins</span> American actor (born 1958)

Timothy Francis Robbins is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Jacob Singer in Jacob's Ladder (1990), as well as winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe award for his role in Mystic River (2003) and another Golden Globe for The Player (1992).

<i>The Player</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Robert Altman

The Player is a 1992 American satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Michael Tolkin, based on his 1988 novel. The film stars Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James and Cynthia Stevenson, and is the story of a Hollywood film studio executive who kills an aspiring screenwriter he believes is sending him death threats.

<i>Bulworth</i> 1998 film by Warren Beatty

Bulworth is a 1998 American political satire black comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by, and starring Warren Beatty. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah Washington. The film follows the title character, California Senator Jay Billington Bulworth (Beatty), as he runs for re-election while trying to avoid a hired assassin. The film received generally positive reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay yet narrowly failed to break even on a $30 million budget. However, Beatty was praised for tackling race, poverty, dysfunction in the health care system, and corporate control of the political agenda, with eminent legal scholar Patricia J. Williams noting the film examined "racism's intersection with America's deep, and growing, class divide."

<i>Hot Shots! Part Deux</i> 1993 US parody film by Jim Abrahams

Hot Shots! Part Deux is a 1993 American parody film directed by Jim Abrahams. It stars Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Bridges, Valeria Golino, Richard Crenna, Brenda Bakke, Miguel Ferrer, Rowan Atkinson, and Jerry Haleva. Sheen, who portrays a spoof of John Rambo, went through a tough weight lifting/training program to gain the physique needed to play the role of an action hero. A sequel to Hot Shots! (1991) and the second installment in the Hot Shots franchise, the movie primarily spoofs the 1980s action films Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988).

<i>Executive Action</i> (film) 1973 film by David Miller

Executive Action is a 1973 American conspiracy thriller film about the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, written by Dalton Trumbo, Mark Lane, and Donald Freed, and directed by David Miller. It stars Burt Lancaster and Robert Ryan. Miller had previously worked with Trumbo on his film Lonely Are the Brave (1962).

<i>Munich</i> (2005 film) 2005 historical film directed by Steven Spielberg

Munich is a 2005 epic historical drama film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, co-written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. It is based on the 1984 book Vengeance by George Jonas, an account of Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre.

<i>The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford</i> 2007 film by Andrew Dominik

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Based on Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford, focusing on the events that lead up to the titular killing. It stars Brad Pitt as James and Casey Affleck as Ford, with Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell in supporting roles.

<i>The Candidate</i> (1972 film) 1972 film by Michael Ritchie

The Candidate is a 1972 American political comedy-drama film starring Robert Redford and Peter Boyle, and directed by Michael Ritchie. The Academy Award–winning screenplay, which examines the various facets and machinations involved in political campaigns, was written by Jeremy Larner, a speechwriter for Senator Eugene J. McCarthy during McCarthy's campaign for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination.

<i>Dead Man Walking</i> (film) 1995 American drama film

Dead Man Walking is a 1995 American crime drama film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, and co-produced and directed by Tim Robbins, who adapted the screenplay from the 1993 non-fiction book of the same name. It marked Peter Sarsgaard’s film debut.

<i>Winter Kills</i> (film) 1979 film by William Richert

Winter Kills is a 1979 satirical black comedy thriller film written and directed by William Richert, based on the eponymous novel of 1974 by Richard Condon. A fiction inspired by the assassination conspiracy theories about President John F. Kennedy, its all-star cast includes Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, Belinda Bauer, Ralph Meeker, Elizabeth Taylor, Berry Berenson and Susan Walden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy</span> 1968 murder in Los Angeles, California

On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and pronounced dead the following day.

Stefan Czapsky, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with director Tim Burton on films like Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, and Ed Wood, for which he won several film critics' awards.

References

  1. ↑ "Bob Roberts (1992)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films .
  2. ↑ "BOB ROBERTS (15)". British Board of Film Classification . July 9, 1992. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "AFI|Catalog".
  4. 1 2 "15 years of production". Variety . 14 December 1998. p. 102.
  5. ↑ Tim Robbins Looks Back at 'Bob Roberts', 25 years later|EW.com
  6. ↑ AllMovie
  7. ↑ Ansen, D. (1992) "Rattling the Political Cage." Newsweek. 120 (10)
  8. ↑ Canby, V. (1992) "Bob Roberts; A Singing Candidate, A Happy Trail of Hate." The New York Times . September 2
  9. ↑ Roberge, C. (1992) "Tim Robbins campaigns for Bob Roberts and political change (interview)." The Tech. 112 (44) pg. 8
  10. ↑ Johnson, B. (1992) "The Stars and Snipes." Maclean's. 105 (37)
  11. ↑ Kauffman, S. (1992) "Ballotomanes." The New Republic. 207 (15) pp. 34-35
  12. ↑ Coyne, Michael (2008). Hollywood Goes to Washington: American Politics on Screen. London: Reaktion Books. p. 117. ISBN   9781861893680.
  13. ↑ "Bob Roberts (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Bob Roberts". Metacritic .
  15. ↑ "Cinemascore". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  16. ↑ RogerEbert.com
  17. ↑ Roberge, C. (1992) Tim Robbins campaigns for Bob Roberts and political change (interview). The Tech. 112(44) Page 8
  18. ↑ Troy, G. (1993) Bob Roberts. The American Historical Review. 98(4) pp.
  19. ↑ Wattenberg, D. (2001) "No Nukes". National Review. 53(5) p55-57
  20. ↑ Ansen, D. (1992) "Rattling the Political Cage". Newsweek. 120(10)
  21. ↑ Dowd, Maureen (February 3, 2018). "'Hollywood Is Changing', Says Its Veteran Activist, Tim Robbins". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Tim Robbins Condemns Those Comparing Trump Assassination Attempt To 'Bob Roberts': "Deranged Mindset"". Deadline . July 14, 2024. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  23. ↑ Bob Roberts at Box Office Mojo
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.