Bob Roberts (1992)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Tim Robbins

Writer:

Tim Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

4 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

More amazing than Watergate.

Plot:

A corrupt rightwing folksinger runs a crooked election campaign while only one independent muck-raking reporter is trying to stop him.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | News Anchor | Song | Satire | Political

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	Bob Roberts
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Bugs Raplin
Alan Rickman	...	Lukas Hart III
Ray Wise	...	Chet MacGregor
Brian Murray	...	Terry Manchester
Gore Vidal	...	Senator Brickley Paiste
Rebecca Jenkins	...	Delores Perrigrew
Harry Lennix	...	Franklin Dockett
John Ottavino	...	Clark Anderson
Robert Stanton	...	Bart Macklerooney
Kelly Willis	...	Clarissa Flan
Merrilee Dale	...	Polly Roberts
Tom Atkins	...	Dr. Caleb Menck
David Strathairn	...	Mack Laflin
James Spader	...	Chuck Marlin

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (2004) (self applied) | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Eisenhower Auditorium, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The "Cutting Edge Live" TV show segment is shot at WQED's studio in Pittsburgh, home of "MisteRogers' Neighborhood" (1968). King Friday's castle can be seen in the background as the production assistant storms across the soundstage to cut the power. When Fred Rogers was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award for Daytime Television in 1997, Tim Robbins was the presenter.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In a scene where Bob gets off the bus in "Harrisburg" a police barrier clearly says "City of Philadelphia."

Quotes:

Bob Roberts: [singing] Some people will have / Some simply will not / But they'll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain / Some people will work / Some never will / But they'll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain / Like this: / It's society's fault I don't have a job / It's society's fault I'm a slob / I'm a drunk, I don't have a brain / Give me a pamplet while I complain / Hey pal you're living in the land of the free No-one's gonna hand you opportunity

Movie Connections:

References Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Soundtrack:

This World Turns

As much a satire on the left as the right

I can understand why Republicans would be upset by this film, but I think that Democrats and/or small-"l" liberals should squirm when they watch this, too. The real sting in this film is that, devious and repulsive as Bob Roberts is, he is far more charismatic and interesting than his tired rival, Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal), and he has managed to appropriate all of the weapons of the 1960s protest movements (including that most sacred insitution of all, folk music) and use them with a vigour that is scarily convincing. Roberts has the adulation of young men and women (watch for a young Jack Black as a smitten fan), the power of the record industry, and access to concerts halls and media coverage to get his message across. What does the left have? A rabid underground journalist (Bugs Raplin), a goofy "Saturday Night Live"-type show (Cutting Edge Live) that may once have been edgy, but now just seems silly (even Roberts himself is a fan), a tired old senator droning on about social programs (Paiste), and a few strident voices crying in the wilderness, (including the journalist played by Lynne Thigpen). Roberts has replaced Bob Dylan as the "voice of his generation" (Robbins includes a hilarious riff on Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" video from "Don't Look Back"). Robbins' real target here is how the ideals of the 60s have failed miserably, how times have changed back, and how greed, self-interest and intolerance have become the new order of the 1990s (and continue today). Roberts is *not* George Bush (senior or junior)--he's a much more frightening animal who shows up just how the voices of dissent have dwindled into insignificance.