Bob Roberts (1992)
Alan Rickman, David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito
Written and directed by actor Tim Robbins (who also plays the title role), this 1992 mock documentary about an upstart candidate for the U.S. Senate is smart, funny, and scarily prescient in its foreshadowing of the Republican revolution of 1994. Bob Roberts is a folksinger with a difference: He off... (read more) Written and directed by actor Tim Robbins (who also plays the title role), this 1992 mock documentary about an upstart candidate for the U.S. Senate is smart, funny, and scarily prescient in its foreshadowing of the Republican revolution of 1994. Bob Roberts is a folksinger with a difference: He offers tunes that protest welfare chiselers, liberal whining, and the like. As the filmmakers follow his campaign, Robbins gives needle-sharp insight into the way candidates manipulate the media. While the film follows Roberts's campaign, it also covers a fringe journalist (Giancarlo Esposito), who may have dug up the kind of dirt to push Roberts's campaign off the rails. Robbins captures the chilly insincerity of this right-wing populist and fills his cast with terrific supporting players, including Alan Rickman as the campaign's shadowy financier and Susan Sarandon and Peter Gallagher as a pair of airhead TV news anchors. --Marshall Fine
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R, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed by:
Tim Robbins
Release Date: Sep 01, 1992
DVD Release Date: Oct 17, 2000
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good! rickman, spader, jack black all support this engaging politically motivtaed movie. nothing wrong with one of those every so often!
A pretty smart mockocumentary, but not all that funny. Also surprising to see so many younger familiar faces.
a pretty great film which addresses a lot of the problems in our political system. tim robbins is great, and the documentary style of the film works pretty well.
A needle-sharp insight into the way candidates manipulate the media. I love how Roberts uses a folksy grass roots appearance to win folks over. Ring any bells?
Only eight years old, this razor-sharp mockumentary about a neo-fascist yuppie running for the U.S. senate from Pennsylvania is barely satire anymore. Who but a comedy writer could come up with the concept of "compassionate conservatism," which as fa... (read more) Only eight years old, this razor-sharp mockumentary about a neo-fascist yuppie running for the U.S. senate from Pennsylvania is barely satire anymore. Who but a comedy writer could come up with the concept of "compassionate conservatism," which as far as I can tell, translates as "We don't help the poor and needy, but we feel really bad about that"?
One of the best movies ever made...and in my private movie collection.
A hilarious satire that manages to claim more social relevance now than it did upon initial release. It tends to drag in spots but the hilarious dialogue and absurd mockumentified characters move it in the right direction.
An eerily prophetic film, and perfect election season viewing material. (Though I only just saw it days after the conclusion of the 2008 election here.) The humor isn't always perfect, but it's damn close most of the time - it was edgy political film... (read more) An eerily prophetic film, and perfect election season viewing material. (Though I only just saw it days after the conclusion of the 2008 election here.) The humor isn't always perfect, but it's damn close most of the time - it was edgy political filmmaking for 1992, and it's aged very well, retaining relevance over a decade and a half later. Robbins strongly leads a top notch ensemble cast, and while it is certainly politically preachy - as you should expect going in - its messages are valuable, and there's a great deal of humor in the disheartening unfolding of the rotten Roberts' campaign. While not flawless, still a very good movie.
This is of course an appropriate time to watch this brilliant 1992 mockumentary about a neocon political wannabe and folk singer with a murky past running for the US Senate.
Eerily prophetic in many ways, you wonder how such a twit could come anywhe... (read more) This is of course an appropriate time to watch this brilliant 1992 mockumentary about a neocon political wannabe and folk singer with a murky past running for the US Senate.
Eerily prophetic in many ways, you wonder how such a twit could come anywhere near winning a Senate seat. And then you remember that there are other nutjobs as scary if not even more so.
At the end you feel ... chilled.
Critic Reviews
Tim Robbins inaugurates the fall season with a slashingly funny political satire that ranks with the year's best films.full review
Watching it might be an education for some voters, who will recognize in the movie political techniques they see being practiced all the time in real life.full review
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