Bulworth (1998)
Director: Warren Beatty Cast: Warren Beatty, Sean Astin, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Laurie Metcalf, Oliver Platt, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden Screenplay: Warren Beatty, Jeremy Pikser Producers: Warren Beatty, Pieter Jan Brugge, Lauren Shuler-Donner Runtime: US Distribution: 20th Century Fox Rated R: language, violence, drug use
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
When Bulworth ended, I allowed myself a sigh of relief: it is possible for me to enjoy political satire. There have been several recent political films that didn't do a whole lot for me -- Wag the Dog, for instance, I found to be an intelligent but heartless film, while Primary Colors is unbearable and unwatchable in its awfulness. Bulworth is a far better film than these, both in its execution and lasting impression. It's a tremendously funny and intelligent picture, but it also has an emotional center -- writer/director/star Warren Beatty allows the audience to identify with his character, and, in turn, we like him and actually care about the story.
Beatty plays incumbent Democratic Senator Jay Billington Bulworth; the film opens and we see Bulworth sobbing as he watches his television spots over and over again. He hasn't slept in days, nor has he eaten, and, almost instantaneously, he goes insane. He's not stark raving mad (not outright, anyway), but he's definitely bonkers. It's the final weekend of his campaign, and his assistant, Murphy (Oliver Platt) has written him a speech to feed to a group of Black people in a church in the ghetto. Bulworth begins the speech, but suddenly goes off track and just starts being honest. "You mean," one lady asks, "the Democratic party doesn't care about the African American community?" "Well," he shouts, laughing, "isn't that obvious?"
The story is propelled by a device in which Bulworth puts out a contract on his own life (he muses later that it's a bad thing to make decisions when you're suicidal); he keeps seeing a man in sunglasses (Graham Beckel) whom he believes to be the hitman. Bulworth also meets Nina (Halle Berry) with whom he becomes infatuated. Suddenly, in the short span of this weekend, Bulworth's no-nonsense "truth in politics" methods become a national sensation, and he shoots ahead in the polls despite the fact that he's appearing on television wearing gang clothes and spewing more profanity than coherent sentences.
Beatty's work on both sides of the camera is excellent. His script and direction are both extremely sharp, as is the surprisingly strong characterization of Bulworth himself. Here is a man who's reached his limit, and his way of lashing back is by screwing over the entire political structure. I like that the film doesn't take a clear shot at any of the political parties or affiliations, but at politics in general and how everything is run by the rich (although the anti-rich sentiments do get a bit tiresome by the end of the film). Some of the segments are simply hilarious, such as a lengthy rap that he delivers at a luncheon dedicated to him.
Much of the film is completely absurd, but that's the fun part about it. It's an angry, serious film at the core, but the package that Beatty has created is so much more accessible than recent attempts in the genre. What adds to this feeling is Beatty's portrayal of Bulworth; this is a performance that deserves recognition on a higher scale. Beatty is so much fun to watch here -- he's always funny, but he's also subtle in ways that flesh out his character without dialogue or hugely noticeable actions. Beatty is so good that Bulworth, despite his shortcomings as a human being, is an entirely sympathetic and likable character almost from the beginning.
The supporting cast is vast and colorful. Berry is luminous, as always, and adds to her repertoire of solid supporting roles. Don Cheadle has a good role as a drug dealer who uses gun-toting toddlers to do his dirty work. Oliver Platt is an actor who should be careful, for someday I fear he may induce a heart attack with the intensity of his acting (though he's very funny to watch). Paul Sorvino adds the Southern accent to his list of mastered inflections.
Is Bulworth offensive? I suppose some may see it that way. I wasn't offended by the film, but then again, I hardly care about politics. I think that people who find this film offensive will just be blindsided by the honesty of the story. The film isn't perfect, of course -- the ending didn't quite work for me, and the a few of the scenes between Bulworth and Nina feel forced (although the eclectic dance sequence is fantastic). But these are minor quibbles about an otherwise brilliant film. Bulworth is a smart, uproariously funny picture that proves to me that political satire can scratch far deeper than the surface.
***1/2 out of **** (8/10, B+)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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