Bulworth (1998)
Directed by Warren Beatty
Written by Warren Beatty & Jeremy Pikser

Bulworth, by contrast, assumes that America is so sick of the fatness of politics that it finally wants the truth. And if the truth rhymes to a hip hop beat, all the better. If Bulworth works, it's thanks to the energy and momentum Beatty creates in a nearly brilliant, fully-realized performance.

Bulworth, a Democratic Senator in a serious life crisis, pretty much has a public mental breakdown, casting off his facile party rhetoric in favor of "telling it like it is." He horrifies everyone, from inner-city Blacks to rich Beverly Hills Jews to extremely powerful insurance company executives. These scenes are pretty damn funny, but since the guts of them were already presented in the previews, you probably already know what he says.

Very similar to Network in that the main character sort of loses his mind, Bulworth is far less structured than that film. The sense you get is that, after years of thinking for money, Bulworth is re-learning how to think and what to think about. This is most evident in the scenes where he discovers rap by scratching on a set of turntables and then belting out an almost nonsensical rhyming tirade at a fundraising brunch.

Beatty seems refreshingly free to take his time with such scenes, which is both good and bad. The exuberance and excitement becomes tiresome after many minutes listening to him screaming and rambling. You know he's trying to figure out what he has to say, but you don't want to watch the entire process.

Running from his personal demons, his unctuous staff, the press, and a shady potential assassin, Beatty stumbles into the life of Nina, a street-smart chick played by Halle Berry. Nina is sexy-tuff, and the requisite romance develops, much to the dismay of her black family.

She hides him in the hood, where he befriends an assortment of "scary" black characters thanks to his stupid, hanging-on-by-a-thread courage and cheerful bravado. White-power fantasy though it is, some of the film's finest, funniest, and saddest material arises from his journey into the hood.

The public catches on to Bulworth's new style, and the media and his staff clamor to find him and bottle his unpredictable, crazy charm. In the climactic scene, Bulworth appears from nowhere to be interviewed live on national television. He completely frazzles the interviewer, the network and its sponsors simply by telling the truth. Everything that he has learned comes out in a geyser of rage and hope. It's a fascinating and suspenseful scene.

Beatty, as said, gives a giddy and unique and memorable performance. Halle Berry looks pretty but has nothing to do, and hasn't yet proven to me that she can act her way past her costume. Don Cheadle is, as usual, perfect in his role as the drug dealer L.D., who somehow makes sense when he explains the insane logic of employing children to do his dirty work. Oliver Platt is pretty funny although sometimes annoying as Dennis, Bulworth's image-crazy campaign manager.

Sean Astin has what seems like a throwaway role as the cameraman, but, like Bulworth, is given an opportunity to rant in a scene that suggests that lurking behind every quiet exterior is a Bulworth waiting to come out. And a memorably hysterical performance from Joshua Malina as Bill, Oliver Platt's nervous assistant.

If this all sounds muddled, it's because the movie is. I was amazed at its continual ingenuity and brilliance, while continually frustrated by its overindulgence and messiness. It's like the idiot savant who plays piano and then bangs his head against the wall; you want to shake him and say, "What are you thinking, you mad, crazy genius?!?"

There's no real stillness in the film, no moments of tenderness despite all the heart and soul. The hundreds of ideas Beatty tries to cram into every minute fully overwhelm any attempts at characterization.

You have to respect the man for making a film that's audacious and cynical and hopeful and loud and dark and predictable and unpredictable and Capraesque and brilliant and forgettable and unforgettable and funny and confounding and frustrating all at once. Bulworth will give you a headache, but not entirely in a bad way.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Crimedog