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Bob Roberts is a 1992 Satire mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. Tim Robbins Looks Back at 'Bob Roberts', 25 years later|EW.com It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election. Roberts is well financed, due mainly to past business dealings, and is well known for his folk music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto. Many of the scenes mimic scenes from Dont Look Back.
The film is Robbins' directorial debut and is based on a short segment of the same title, featuring the same character that Robbins portrayed on Saturday Night Live. It marked Jack Black's film debut. AllMovie
Complementing Manchester's neutral perspective are reflections by Senator Paiste, television anchor Kelly Noble and investigative reporter Bugs Raplin, among others. Paiste is convinced that Roberts is a master manipulator linked to the National Security Council, the CIA and the military–industrial complex. Throughout the campaign, Raplin attempts to use the documentary being made about Roberts to expose him to the public as a fraud. Raplin believes that Roberts' anti-drug charity, Broken Dove, is connected to an old CIA drug trafficking scheme, citing Roberts' campaign chairman Lukas Hart III's past in the Phoenix Program as proof. Shortly after an acerbic and disastrous interview with Roberts, Kelly Noble points out that his potential for success comes from subverting stereotypes by using his music, a tool of protest typical of the left during the counterculture years, as a vector for far-right politics.
As the campaign continues, Paiste remains in the lead until a scandal arises involving him and a young woman who was seen emerging from a car with him. Paiste claims that she was a friend of his granddaughter whom he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations. Roberts' campaign suffers a setback as well, when Raplin's accusations briefly gain traction and result in a subpoena on Lukas Hart III for unpaid housing loans rumored to be redirected to drug trafficking.
As the election approaches, Roberts is asked to appear on a network's sketch comedy show. When Roberts announces that he will not be playing the song he had originally proposed, a dispute breaks out between the cast and producers of the show. This new song turns out to be nothing more than a thinly veiled campaign endorsement, and an angry staff member of the network pulls the plug mid-performance. As Roberts is leaving the studio, he is seemingly shot by a would-be assassin. Raplin, who has been causing problems for the campaign, is initially linked to the shooting, but he is later cleared when it is found that due to constrictive palsy in his right hand he physically could not have fired the gun. Following the incident, Raplin contends that Roberts was never actually shot and that the gun was fired into the ground. Raplin's allegations are not confirmed on camera by Roberts campaign member Delores Perrigrew when she is questioned by Manchester, but she does show clear signs of remorse and abruptly quits the campaign.
The campaign is boosted by public support following the assassination attempt, and Roberts wins the election with 52% of the vote. Although Roberts claims that his wounds have left him paralyzed from the waist down, he is seen tapping his feet at a celebration party. While Terry Manchester is interviewing Roberts' supporters outside the new senator's hotel, a boy runs up shouting, "He's dead, he's dead, they got him!" When Manchester asks him what he is talking about, the boy shouts, "Bugs Raplin! He's dead! They got him!" A joyful celebration breaks out among Roberts' supporters, the shot changes to an image of his hotel room, and an upright walking shadow suggesting Roberts' profile passes the window before the lights go out. The film ends with a radio news report about Raplin's death at the hands of a right-wing fanatic and a shot of Manchester standing in the Jefferson Memorial, looking at the words, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man", inscribed there.
A soundtrack album was not released because Robbins did not wish the songs to be heard outside the context of the film.
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating: "I like Bob Roberts – I like its audacity, its freedom to say the obvious things about how our political process has been debased." However, Ebert also stated that the thread about the investigative journalism doesn't work, commenting "if the had been only about campaign tactics and techniques, I would have liked it more." RogerEbert.com
While critics and audiences responded to this film by connecting Roberts’ character to various political figures, such as George H. W. Bush and Pennsylvania Representative and later Senator Rick Santorum, Robbins has said that the film related more to the political system in general than any specific politician. Much of Robbins' commentary addresses the role of the media in election campaigns.Roberge, C. (1992) Tim Robbins campaigns for Bob Roberts and political change (interview). The Tech. 112(44) Page 8 Some have critiqued Robbins for his approach toward political satire, stating that his references to Reagan Era politics and the rebelliousness of the 1960s are simply too anachronistic in the context of the 1990s,Troy, G. (1993) Bob Roberts. The American Historical Review. 98(4) pp.Wattenberg, D. (2001) "No Nukes". National Review. 53(5) p55-57 but others have praised it for framing political commentary as a Hollywood comedy.Ansen, D. (1992) "Rattling the Political Cage". Newsweek. 120(10) In 2018, Robbins said: " Bob Roberts came true", referring to President Donald Trump. In July 2024, following an attempted assassination of Trump, a conspiracy theory emerged that it was staged akin to what happens in Bob Roberts. Robbins condemned the theory, writing on Twitter: "Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset."
The film grossed $4.5 million in the United States and Canada and $8 million worldwide.
Awards
The film won the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack/Sound Design at Film Fest Gent in 1992.
See also
External links
Categories: 1992 Films, 1992 Comedy Films, 1992 Directorial Debut Films, Films Set In 1990, 1990s Mockumentary Films, Saturday Night Live In The 1990s, 1990s Political Satire Films, 1990s Political Comedy Films, 1990s English-language Films, 1990s American Films, 1990s British Films, Saturday Night Live Films, American Mockumentary Films, American Political Comedy Films, American Political Satire Films, British Political Comedy Films, British Political Satire Films, Films About Elections, Films About Guitars And Guitarists, Films Directed By Tim Robbins, Films Set In Pittsburgh, Political Mockumentaries, American Self-reflexive Films, Miramax Films, Paramount Pictures Films, Polygram Filmed Entertainment Films, Working Title Films Films, Artisan Entertainment Films, Georges Delerue Award Winners, Films Shot In Pittsburgh, English-language Documentary Films
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