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Bamboozled (2000) 6.2
Ratings:
6.2/10 from 7,117 users
Metascore: 50/100
Reviews: 181 user | 96 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com A frustrated African American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. Director:Spike LeeWriter:Spike Lee |
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Title: Bamboozled (2000)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Damon Wayans | ... | ||
| Savion Glover | ... | ||
| Jada Pinkett Smith | ... |
Sloan Hopkins
(as Jada Pinkett-Smith)
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| Tommy Davidson | ... | ||
| Michael Rapaport | ... | ||
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Thomas Jefferson Byrd | ... | |
| Paul Mooney | ... | ||
| Sarah Jones | ... | ||
| Gillian Iliana Waters | ... | ||
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Susan Batson | ... | |
| Mos Def | ... |
Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika (Julius Hopkins)
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M.C. Serch | ... |
Mau Mau: 1 /
16th Blak
(as MC Serch)
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| Gano Grills | ... | ||
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Canibus | ... | |
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DJ Scratch | ... | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Dark, biting satire of the television industry, focusing on an Ivy-League educated black writer at a major network. Frustrated that his ideas for a "Cosby Show"-esque take on the black family has been rejected by network brass, he devises an outlandish scheme: reviving the minstrel show. The hook: instead of white actors in black face, the show stars black actors in even blacker face. The show becomes an instant smash, but with the success also comes repercussions for all involved. Written by N. Cognito <nobody@noplace>
Taglines:
Starring the great negroe actorsMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong language and some violence | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 February 2001 (Spain) See more »Also Known As:
It's Showtime See more »Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USABox Office
Budget:
$10,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$190,720 (USA) (6 October 2000)Gross:
ESP 5,010,100 (Spain) (29 June 2001)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1
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Pierre Delacroix: So you fucked a nigger in college.
See more »
Written by India.Arie and Blue Miller
Performed by India.Arie
Courtesy of Motown Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The one white member of the Mau Maus, named 1/16th Blak in the movie, was played by M.C. Serch, a member of the 80s/90s rap act 3rd Bass. The Mau Maus sing a portion of 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" while hanging out in the studio: "Black cat is bad luck, bad guys wear black / Musta been a white guy who started all that." See more »Quotes
Myrna Goldfarb: I happen to have a Master's degree in African-American studies.Pierre Delacroix: So you fucked a nigger in college.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The credits roll over several "coon" collectable items that are wound-up. See more »Soundtracks
"In My Head"Written by India.Arie and Blue Miller
Performed by India.Arie
Courtesy of Motown Records
See more »
first, the criticisms:
the acting is bad. the camera-work is only competent. the narrative is weak.
now the praise: my jaw dropped a number of times during the viewing. I couldn't believe I was watching an American movie. more so than other movies, bamboozled is entirely a result of entertainment. the world the movie depicts is centered on a TV network (entertainment producers and distributors), the narrative within the movie looks at entertainment (they're making a TV show!), and there is the film itself (which is entertainment).
but the things the actors say! if there is such a thing as a monolithic white America and a monolithic black America, many many lines that spike wrote can NOT be said in polite company.
and the events that transpire! the very idea of a c.2000 minstrel show is enough to provoke discussion and examination. the non stop barrage of highly charged race signifiers (speech, clothes, ideas, the blackface fabrication and application, etc) contributed to a very specific tone of outrage and cynicism. so it's fascinating because it's brilliantly done. but it's a failure because it's not quite a movie. could spike really have intended to make a satire of a movie, where the story of the movie is to make a satire on TV?
in short, the (often intense) reaction this movie engenders is worthwhile in itself. however, the movie feels to me like an intentioned, crafted harangue, which lowers its worth as entertainment, and establishes itself as a diatribe.