Bulworth (1998)

A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.

Director:

Warren Beatty

Writers:

Warren Beatty (story), Warren Beatty (screenplay)

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Kimberly Deauna Adams

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kimberly Deauna Adams	...	Denisha
Vinny Argiro	...	Debate Director
Sean Astin	...	Gary
Kirk Baltz	...	Debate Producer
Ernie Lee Banks	...	Leroy (as Ernie Banks)
Amiri Baraka	...	Rastaman
Christine Baranski	...	Constance Bulworth
Adilah Barnes	...	Mrs. Brown
Warren Beatty	...	Jay Bulworth
Graham Beckel	...	Man with Dark Glasses
Halle Berry	...	Nina
Brandon N. Bowlin	...	Bouncer #2
Mongo Brownlee	...	Henchman #3
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Uncle Rafeeq
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Anthony

Storyline

Senator Jay Bulworth is facing speculation-induced financial ruin, so he puts out a contract on his own life in order to collect a large, new insurance policy for his family. Living each moment on borrowed time, he suddenly begins spouting raw, unfiltered--and sometimes offensive in word but satirical in spirit -- thoughts to shocked audiences and handlers in the speech of hip-hop music and culture. His newfound uninhibitedness and new relationship with Nina carry him on a journey of political and spiritual renewal.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | truth | politics | liberal | rap music | 

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Taglines:

Brace yourself.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language and some drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tribulations

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$141,816, 17 May 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$26,525,834, 6 December 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award in the same year as another political satire, Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998) which was nominated in the Best Screenplay Adaptation category whereas Bulworth (1998) was nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category. Both political satire pictures did not win.

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Goofs

Bulworth tells the assassin that he will be traveling to Los Angeles via American Airlines, yet the arrival airplane footage shown is clearly a Southwest Airline plane.

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Quotes

Debate Producer: Just between us, Senator, do you think it's advisable to schedule campaign stops with industry leaders when you have such a low opinion of their product?
Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth: My guys are not stupid. They always put the big Jews on my schedule. You're mostly Jews, right? Three out of four of you?
[brandishes speech]
Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth: I bet Murphy put something bad about Farrakhan in here for you!

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Crazy Credits

Last line of credits For: A.B., K.E.B.B., B.M.B., and I.I.A.B.

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Connections

Featured in Pras Feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya: Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are) (1998)

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Soundtracks

Joints & Jam
Written by Paul Poli, Will.i.am (as William Adams), Apl.de.Ap (as Allan Pineda),
Taboo (as Jaime Gomez), Greg Phillinganes, Barry Gibb
Performed by The Black Eyed Peas
Produced by Paul Poli and Will.i.am (as William Adams)
Contains a sample of "Love Till the End of Time" (Greg Phillinganes)
Also contains an interpolation of "Grease" (Barry Gibb)
Courtesy of Interscope Records

User Reviews

Getting In Touch With Your Inner Homey

Warren Beatty's Bulworth is one devastating satire on the political scene of the Clinton years. Sad to say things really ain't gotten any better here.

J. Billington Bulworth, Democratic Senator from California at one time rising liberal star has had to tack mighty heavily to the right in order to keep his office. Even at doing that he's facing a heavily financed rightwing opponent.

With defeat staring him in the face and no home life so to speak with both he and his wife pursuing the opposite sex, Bulworth just decides to chuck it all. His friends in the insurance industry are writing him one whopping life insurance policy and Bulworth hires a hit man to do him in.

Of course no with nothing to lose our U.S. Senator who before mouthed the political platitudes and nostrums we get from our elected officials at voting time, now starts telling some uncomfortable truths. Lack of sleep and some controlled substances produce a rapping U.S. Senator who along the way picks up some black groupie types with Halle Berry. The consequences of all these hijinks you'll have to watch Bulworth for.

One friend has compared it Network and there are certainly some similarities. I think Bulworth should be seen back to back with Robert Redford's The Candidate. If you'll remember Redford was the idealistic liberal who trimmed his sails through the advice of his hired spin doctors and got himself elected U.S. Senator from California. His Bill MacKay was wondering what he does then at the end of that film. I think Bulworth provides some answers as to a possible direction MacKay might have taken.

Warren Beatty wrote a witty script and a mean rap. Director Beatty gets some good performances by his cast and best in the supporting cast is his aide Oliver Platt who sees his whole career going down the tubes. There's a peculiar symbiotic relationship between Capitol Hill staffers and their bosses. They serve at the pleasure of, but at the same time a good one can make himself pretty valuable to his boss. Platt's such a guy, his character is quite authentic.

Remember watch Bulworth back to back with The Candidate.