Bob Roberts
Encyclopedia
Bob Roberts is a 1992 film
written and directed
by Tim Robbins
. It is a satirical
mockumentary
, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative 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 music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto.
The film is Robbins' directorial debut, and is based on a short segment of the same name and featuring the same character that Robbins did for Saturday Night Live
on December 13, 1986. This is also the movie debut of Jack Black
.
. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between conservative
folk singer, Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins
) and the incumbent Democrat
, Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal
). The film is shot through the perspective of Terry Manchester (Brian Murray), a British documentary filmmaker who is following the Roberts campaign. Through his lens we see Roberts travel across the state, performing songs about drug users, lazy people and the triumph of traditional family values over the rebelliousness of the 1960s. 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 who he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations.
Throughout the campaign, reporter Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito
) attempts to use the documentary being made about Roberts as a way to expose him to the public as a fraud. Raplin believes that Roberts’ anti-drug charity, Broken Dove, is connected to an old Central Intelligence Agency
drug trafficking scheme. 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 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 contests that Roberts was never actually shot and that the gun was fired into the ground.
The campaign is boosted by public support following the assassination attempt, and Roberts wins the election with 52 percent of the vote. Although Roberts claims that his wounds have left him paralysed
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's 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's 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.
, it also contains scenes inspired by the 1967 documentary, Dont Look Back
, made about the singer, employing a similar (although consciously constructed) cinema verité
style. The film also draws from the mock-documentary This Is Spinal Tap
(Rob Reiner
, 1984) which Robbins states is one of his favorite films, and directly references this during the scene in which Roberts gets lost in an auditorium attempting to find the stage before his performance. Another technique which Robbins takes from Reiner is the use of improvisation, which he encouraged the cast to use. In the case of Gore Vidal
’s character, the majority of the lines were not scripted, and instead Vidal based his role upon his own political beliefs, and his real-life positions on many of the fictional election topics. Robbins borrows from a wide range of films and historical campaign events.
and Pennsylvania
senator Rick Santorum
, Robbins has said that the film related more to the political system in general than any specific politician. In the film Robbins does not clearly identify either candidate's partisan allegiance, although he said in an interview that the casting of Gore Vidal clearly indicated that Bob Roberts is not a Democrat; Vidal's Senator Brickley Paste is also identified in one advertisement as a Democrat. Much of Robbins' commentary is addressed at the role of the media
in election campaigns. 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, but others have praised it for framing political commentary as a Hollywood comedy.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
written and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
. It is a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
election. Roberts is well financed, due mainly to past business dealings, and is well known for his music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto.
The film is Robbins' directorial debut, and is based on a short segment of the same name and featuring the same character that Robbins did for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on December 13, 1986. This is also the movie debut of Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
.
Plot
Bob Roberts takes place in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
folk singer, Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
) and the incumbent Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
). The film is shot through the perspective of Terry Manchester (Brian Murray), a British documentary filmmaker who is following the Roberts campaign. Through his lens we see Roberts travel across the state, performing songs about drug users, lazy people and the triumph of traditional family values over the rebelliousness of the 1960s. 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 who he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations.
Throughout the campaign, reporter Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is a Danish-born American film and television actor and director.-Early life:Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to an Italian father and African-American mother. His mother was an opera and nightclub singer from Alabama, who once appeared on the same...
) attempts to use the documentary being made about Roberts as a way to expose him to the public as a fraud. Raplin believes that Roberts’ anti-drug charity, Broken Dove, is connected to an old Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
drug trafficking scheme. 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 shot by a would-be assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
. 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
Palsy
In medicine, palsy is the paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by loss of sensation and by uncontrolled body movements, such as shaking. Medical conditions involving palsy include cerebral palsy , brachial palsy , and Bell's palsy ....
in his right hand he physically could not have fired the gun. Following the incident, Raplin contests that Roberts was never actually shot and that the gun was fired into the ground.
The campaign is boosted by public support following the assassination attempt, and Roberts wins the election with 52 percent of the vote. Although Roberts claims that his wounds have left him paralysed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
from the waist down
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
, 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's 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's 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
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
fanatic and a shot of Manchester standing in the Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
, 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.
Style
The style of Bob Roberts is drawn from a number of real and mock documentaries, and its shots are crafted to create this effect, in many cases through the use of hand-held cameras. Not only does Roberts’ character draw from 60’s era iconography of Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, it also contains scenes inspired by the 1967 documentary, Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back is a 1967 documentary film by D.A. Pennebaker that covers Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom.In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically...
, made about the singer, employing a similar (although consciously constructed) cinema verité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
style. The film also draws from the mock-documentary This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
(Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
, 1984) which Robbins states is one of his favorite films, and directly references this during the scene in which Roberts gets lost in an auditorium attempting to find the stage before his performance. Another technique which Robbins takes from Reiner is the use of improvisation, which he encouraged the cast to use. In the case of Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
’s character, the majority of the lines were not scripted, and instead Vidal based his role upon his own political beliefs, and his real-life positions on many of the fictional election topics. Robbins borrows from a wide range of films and historical campaign events.
Response
While critics and audiences have responded to this film by connecting Roberts’ character to various political figures, such as George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
senator Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
, Robbins has said that the film related more to the political system in general than any specific politician. In the film Robbins does not clearly identify either candidate's partisan allegiance, although he said in an interview that the casting of Gore Vidal clearly indicated that Bob Roberts is not a Democrat; Vidal's Senator Brickley Paste is also identified in one advertisement as a Democrat. Much of Robbins' commentary is addressed at the role of the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
in election campaigns. Some have critiqued Robbins for his approach toward political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
, stating that his references to Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
-era politics and the rebelliousness of the 1960s are simply too anachronistic
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
in the context of the 1990s, but others have praised it for framing political commentary as a Hollywood comedy.
Cast
- Tim RobbinsTim RobbinsTimothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
as Robert "Bob" Roberts, Jr., a folksinger and businessman who runs for the U.S. Senate - Giancarlo EspositoGiancarlo EspositoGiancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is a Danish-born American film and television actor and director.-Early life:Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to an Italian father and African-American mother. His mother was an opera and nightclub singer from Alabama, who once appeared on the same...
as John Alijah "Bugs" Raplin, a journalist determined to expose Roberts - Alan RickmanAlan RickmanAlan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Lukas Hart III, Roberts' campaign chairman - Ray WiseRay WiseRaymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
as Chet MacGregor, Roberts' campaign manager - Brian Murray as Terry Manchester, a British documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
-maker - Gore VidalGore VidalGore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
as Senator Brickley Paiste, the incumbent Senator against whom Roberts campaigns - Rebecca JenkinsRebecca Jenkins-Acting:She had starring roles in the 1990s CBC series Black Harbour, and the films Bye Bye Blues, Marion Bridge, Wilby Wonderful, Whole New Thing, South of Wawa and Supervolcano. She also had a supporting role in the 1992 film Bob Roberts, as Dolores Perrigrew...
as Delores Perrigrew, a member of Roberts' campaign staff - Harry Lennix as Franklin Dockett, a Roberts campaign aide
- John Ottavino as Clark Anderson, head of Roberts' campaign security
- Robert StantonRobert Stanton (actor)Robert Lloyd Stanton is an American film, television and stage actor, director and playwright. He has appeared in many films, including A League of Their Own and Confessions of a Shopaholic...
as Bart Macklerooney, a Roberts campaign aide - Kelly WillisKelly WillisKelly Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.-Early life:...
as Clarissa Flan, a folk musician and Miss Broken Dove 1989 - Merrilee Dale as Polly Roberts, Roberts' picture-perfect wife
- Tom AtkinsTom Atkins (actor)Tom Atkins is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film genre, having worked with writers and directors such as John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George A. Romero...
as Dr. Caleb Menck, Roberts' personal doctor - David StrathairnDavid StrathairnDavid Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
as Mack Laflin, Raplin's attorney - James SpaderJames SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
as Chuck Marlin, a local news anchor for station WLNO - Pamela ReedPamela ReedPamela Reed is an American actress. She is known for playing Ruth Powers in various episodes of TV's The Simpsons, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic partner in the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop and as the matriarch Gail Green in Jericho...
as Carol Cruise, Chuck Marlin's co-anchor at WLNO - Helen HuntHelen HuntHelen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
as Rose Pondell, a field reporter at WLNO - Peter GallagherPeter GallagherPeter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
as Dan Riley, host of Good Morning, Philadelphia - Lynne ThigpenLynne ThigpenCherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen Sandiego television series.-Early life:...
as Kelly Noble, an interviewer on Good Morning, Philadelphia - Bingo O'Malley as Robert Roberts, Sr., Bob Roberts's father
- Kathleen ChalfantKathleen Chalfant-Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard...
as Constance Roberts, Bob Roberts' mother - Jack BlackJack BlackJack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
as Roger Davis, a fan of Roberts' music and politics - Matthew Faber as Calvin, a friend and bandmate of Davis
- Matt McGrathMatt McGrath (actor)Matt McGrath is an American actor.McGrath's film appearances include roles in The Notorious Bettie Page, Boys Don't Cry, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, and The Impostors. On television, McGrath has appeared in episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Now and Again, and New York...
as Burt, a friend and bandmate of Davis - Anita GilletteAnita GilletteAnita Gillette is an American actress, most notable for her work on Broadway and as a celebrity guest on various game shows....
as Mrs. Davis, wife of the mayor of Harrisburg, mother of Roger - Susan SarandonSusan SarandonSusan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
as Tawna Titan, a local news anchor for WFAC-TV News - Fred WardFred WardFreddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
as Chip Daley, co-anchor at WFAC-TV News - Fisher StevensFisher StevensFisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
as Rock Bork, a field reporter at WFAC-TV News - Gil Robbins as Reverend Best, a minister who supports Roberts' campaign
- Bob BalabanBob BalabanRobert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
as Michael Janes, Cutting Edge Live producer - John CusackJohn CusackJohn Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
as Cutting Edge Live host - Allan F. NichollsAllan F. NichollsAllan F. Nicholls born April 8, 1945 in Montreal, Quebec, is a Canadian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, composer and musician. He was nominated for both a BAFTA and WGA award for his writing on the 1978 film A Wedding. He is often credited as Allan Nicholls.Allan was lead...
as Cutting Edge Live director - June Stein as Carol, a Cutting Edge Live assistant
- Robert HegyesRobert HegyesRobert Hegyes is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Epstein in the 1970s television series Welcome Back, Kotter.-Early life:...
as Ernesto Galleano, a reporter