Bulworth: 20 Years Later

Most political films whether they be parodies or thrillers will probably have somebody who brings them up by saying, “This film predicted what’s happening in Washington today.” True story, this is something that actually happened to me when someone I was talking to brought up The Distinguished Gentleman, arguably Eddie Murphy’s most forgotten film. If you’re on one side of politics, I think you can become disillusioned by how it’s been a well financed shit show for a number of years. Some have mentioned this film I’m about to talk about, making the argument it predicted Trump’s care free campaign run. It’s a film that can also be seen as a heightened parody that looks at how Bill Clinton sold himself to black voters, at one time being referred to as the first black president only to introduce harsh crime bills that really set its target on the black community after they carried him to the White House.

 

Those upset with Barack Obama’s cool and calm demeanor during his presidency said he needed to go Bulworth and according to a New York Times article it was something Obama even referenced, whether or not he should go “full Bulworth.” 

 

In 1998 Warren Beatty starred in, wrote, produced and directed his thoughts and opinions on politics in a film called Bulworth. Warren Beatty, for those who just know him as the old man who botched the Best Picture announcement when Moonlight won, is an iconic actor best recognized from the New Hollywood era of filmmaking that begun in the late 1960s, dominated the 70s and died somewhere around the early 80s. In this film you’re reminded of the innovative and experimental era Beatty was apart of because Bulworth, in a similar way to the title character’s actions in the film, really goes against any tradition or path that a film like this is supposed to go down. It’s satire that can be best described as taking the handcuffs off a crazed super-villain and seeing what they decide to do with the freedom. I recently watched Network for the first time previous to watching Bulworth and both films are very similar in how ambitious they are tackling issues. Both films become surreal with their experimental use of parodying real life while addressing things that people casually turn a blind eye to. They both follow a main character who has decided they no longer give a fuck and because of this accidentally discover a new path of success.

 

When Donald Trump’s presidential run began, multiple people compared his antics to Bulworth, even though the character’s rebellion is far left. The way both characters rebel, rile up their fanbases and seem doubtful they’ll come through on any significant change is certainly similar. 

 

Bulworth is the type of film I would love to see more of, a film where there is an argument for why it’s a great movie and why it’s a bad movie but what you can’t deny is that it’s a watchable film worth talking about. Unfortunately similar to politics, Hollywood filmmaking is all about what brings in the most money so it’s rare you see the right type of films consistently being released. Bulworth is certainly the right type of film there should be more of because it’s daring, it’s going for something and it’s not afraid to fail.

The main plot around Bulworth surrounds a senator who has fallen on his face with socialist politics and now must adapt to conservative politics in order to pay the bills as a politician. Miserable with the way his life and career is going, he puts a hit on himself and with his death soon to be taking place, becomes more carefree and goes against his current gameplan. He speaks out about what goes on behind the curtain of politics and in an even more psychotic manner, begins acting black in a way reminiscent of Jaime Kennedy in Malibu’s Most Wanted. On the one hand, you’ll get really uncomfortable watching Warren Beatty contentiously freestyling but on the other hand you can’t deny it seems very true to life if there were to be a politician who had a mental breakdown and didn’t give a fuck about what he did anymore.

The word fuck is a perfect word to use while talking about Bulworth since because this film was released in a “Pulp Fiction/Tarantino is God” world that 1990s Hollywood was, the word fuck is used according to IMDB 111 times in the film.

Bulworth ambitiously tackles a variety of topics with the use of social commentary. The first obvious one is how flawed politics are. Early on in the film Jay Bulworth is speaking at a black church and once reaching a place where he doesn’t give a fuck, says that it doesn’t really matter what he does for the black community because they don’t pay like Beverly Hills does and as a Democrat, he’s their only option. There are even moments in the film where the senator comments on the people asking him questions for a televised debate are the same people getting paid by one of his funders. Practically every flaw with modern politics is commented on by Warren Beatty…..usually in a freestyle or a “white man’s impression of a black man” tone of voice.

With how this white senator is dressing and acting black, the film also tackles the issue of cultural appropriation. Multiple times Bulworth just regurgitates something a black citizen said to him, showing that it’s not until an old white guy says something that the issue become newsworthy to the public.  If he isn’t repeating what a black person told him a few moments before going on camera, he’s mimicking anything the black people around him do. In the middle of this mental breakdown, his act of rebellion like a lot of young white kids at the time is to act what he perceives as being black.

This scene in particular featuring Bulworth partying in the hood and Warren Beatty just going wild with his perception of how to act black is just a crazy fucking thing to watch. 

 

The film itself could be a possible criminal of cultural appropriation since the line between parody and gimmick is very very thin. At times it feels like parody and at other times it feels like a comedic grab bag of attempting to be with the times. While parodying politics, it also feels as if Warren Beatty borrowed whatever he picked from films like Boyz n the Hood and Don’t Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking your Juice in the Hood in a fashion similar to the character he was playing to appeal to a lucrative audience. The soundtrack for Bulworth which was all rap sold so well it was certified platinum.

There’s also an argument for whatever crimes of cultural appropriation this film is guilty of being commentary on how people pay attention not to what is important and informative, but entertaining and amusing. At the beginning of the film the senator is flipping through channels not eating or sleeping, as if he’s downloading what people will pay attention to because being strictly political, informative and intelligent hasn’t been working. His act of rebellion is a final Hail Mary throw of attempting to connect with a new generation of voters and Warren Beatty’s use of injecting black culture of the 90s into this film seems to be a tool of keeping people’s attention while tackling serious subjects in a similar way Schoolhouse Rock! was known to do.  A line that is evidence of how politics needs to be entertaining to survive is when a televised debate is cancelled following technical difficulties because the studio refuses to bump Jerry Springer.

 

 

There’s even moments in this film that tackle challenging issues like police brutality and children growing up in terrible neighborhoods who end up in the drug business because it’s the only financially successful way to go in order to move forward in their world. So many people at the time would just look at the issue of drugs and tell people to “just say no”, this film dived deeper and explored the actual issue of the situation.

The great Don Cheadle plays a drug dealer who eventually falls under the spell of Bulworth allegedly being the voice of change.

 

Bulworth wraps up in the best way. Similar to the innovative and freeform New Hollywood style of filmmaking, the fate of the title character is left up for grabs. There is no clear stereotypical Hollywood happy ending. There is also moments of Bulworth following success, showing signs of going back to being a one dimensional politician. Showing the issue of cultural appropriation, Bulworth seems to be looking at all the black voters who carried him to success and now that he has it wanting to distance himself from them as much as possible, to run back to the higher class who left him turning to conservative politics in order to survive and the people he had been mocking. Like every politician that says they’ll be a leader of change, they eventually get with the program and become the bullshit they claimed to be sick and tired of.

Whether it’s a good or bad viewing experience for you, Bulworth is a film worth checking out and having your own opinion of. It’s the type of movie that reminds you filmmaking started off as an art form and every so often can still be an art form.

Halle Berry co-stars in this film so you know it’s worth your time.