Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008)

The Murrow, Polk, and IDA Award-winning documentary Boogie Man is about Lee Atwater, a blues-playing rogue whose rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a political rock star. ... See full summary »

Director:

Stefan Forbes

Writer:

Stefan Forbes

Stars:

Eric Alterman, Lee Atwater, George Bush

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Eric Alterman	...	Himself
Lee Atwater	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Connie Chung	...	Herself (archive footage)
Joe Conason	...	Himself
Tom DeLay	...	Himself
Sam Donaldson	...	Himself
Michael Dukakis	...	Himself
Tucker Eskew	...	Himself
Howard Fineman	...	Himself
Bryant Gumbel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Willie Horton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Chuck Jackson	...	Himself
Mary Matalin	...	Herself

Storyline

The Murrow, Polk, and IDA Award-winning documentary Boogie Man is about Lee Atwater, a blues-playing rogue whose rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a political rock star. He mentored George W. Bush and Karl Rove while leading the Republican party to historic victories, helping make liberal a dirty word, and transforming the way America elects our Presidents. In interviews with Republicans and friends of Atwater, Boogie Man examines his role in America's shift to the right. To Democrats offended by the 1988 Willie Horton controversy, Atwater was a remorseless political assassin dubbed by one Congresswoman "the most evil man in America." The film examines his irreverent sense of humor, his understanding of the American heartland, and his unapologetic vision of politics as war. It ends with a portrait of a cynic's deathbed search for meaning.

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Plot Keywords:

republican | politics | interview | george w. bush | republican party | 

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Taglines:

"He taught the Democrats to sing the blues." -George H.W. Bush

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boogie Man

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,939 (USA) (26 September 2008)

Gross:

$60,332 (USA) (7 November 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

InterPositive Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Boogie Man won several journalism awards, including the national Edward R. Murrow Award, and the George Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism.

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Connections

References Dracula (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Wandering Child"
by Gov't Mule

User Reviews

Part Greek Tragedy, Part Horror Film

The film is a fascinating look at a man who profoundly changed the tenor of modern political campaigns.

Stefan Forbes does an excellent job of charting Lee Atwater's political life, and you get enough of the personal to get a sense of the complexities of the man. As you hear stories told by people who are still very active in politics today—Ed Rollins, Terry McAuliffe and Tucker Eskew —it's easy to make a connection between Atwater's political legacy and current election dramas . . . It's something to see Tucker Eskew speak with such glowing admiration of Lee Atwater knowing that he was recently hired by the McCain campaign!!!

I really enjoyed the film—found it entertaining and enlightening.