I have DVDs for three reasons. 1) It's a favorite movie, 2) It was a gift, 3) It was an impulsive buy based on either proximity to Target or one good review. The latter applies to Bob Roberts, a 1992 mockumentary made by and starring Tim Robbins. The film follows a senatorial campaign between Democrat Brickley Paiste and the conservative folk singing Roberts, who loves to fence in the morning and then hop on his motorcycle and is described as a "cryptofacist clown". I thought I had seen this movie before, but within the first 10 minutes I realized that was not the case.
Undoubtedly funny (HILARIOUS) it is also unsettling, with comedic jabs pointed straight towards very real situations. More frightening still, even after 15 years the political landscape has not changed much since when this film was released; Bob Roberts is relevant as ever. We're still dealing with failed S & L closures and scandals, sending troops to war, battling drugs, and riding the thin line between church and state.
Timeliness aside it's a great film with obvious nods to Rob Reiner's Spinal Tap and features a ton of familiar faces, including Susan Sarandon, David Strathairn, Alan Rickman, Gore Vidal, Fred Ward, and John Cusack to name a few. But I think two of my favorites are James Spader as "Chuck Marlin" and Jack Black as a crazed young republican that seems to be part of a right wing trench coat army.
I could truly go on and on about the many aspects of this film that make it worth viewing but I would probably ruin if for you. So watch it.
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