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

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two theatrical feature films of the 1990s directed by Warren Beatty, which would be considered a very busy decade for the director as opposed to his previous decades working as an actor/director. The other is "Dick Tracy", which was also Oscar Nominated along with this film. The other films that Beatty starred in but did not direct were "Love Affair", which co-starred his wife Annette Bening and was Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, who Beatty personally chose to direct the film; and "Bugsy", directed by Barry Levinson.

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Goofs

Crewmember visible twice when Bulworth is dancing with Nina in the nightclub.

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Quotes

[after watching Bulworth lose it on TV]
Mimi: Now - would we be eligible for an Emmy, or a Peabody?

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Crazy Credits

For the song "Bulworth Breakdown", the title character Jay Bulworth is credited as a writer and performer.

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Connections

Referenced in Todd's Pop Song Reviews: "Ghetto Superstar" by Pras: One Hit Wonderland (2014)

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Soundtracks

Semper Fidelis
Composed by John Philip Sousa
Performed by The Band of the Grenadier Guards
Conducted by Major Rodney Bashford
Courtesy of The Decca Record Company Limited/London Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Music

User Reviews

The most daring political satire ever made.

I cannot recommend 'Bulworth' highly enough. Sure, I've seen lots of worthy political satires. 'The Candidate', 'Wag the Dog', 'Bob Roberts', and others. But this is the finest example ever made. Warren Beatty should be very proud of this masterpiece. Not only for the guts it took to so brazenly confront the modern political process (and how it affects race relations, the film industry, education, medicine, and so on) but also for the fact that he wrote it, produced it, directed it, and starred in it. Any one of those jobs can be a supreme undertaking, and here he has accomplished all four with integrity, wit, humor, intelligence, and undeniable brass. It is quite simply impossible to watch this movie without being repeatedly shocked at the depth of its honesty. The supporting cast is also excellent, and Don Cheadle stands out as LD.

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

Gross USA:

$26,528,185

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,202,884

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