Truly Dreadful Film

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Best movie ever!

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This is a "One Man Show" with Writer/Director/Actor/Singer Tim Robbins Wearing His Liberalism Proudly On His Sleeve. But to Call it a "One Man Show" is Inaccurate in a Minor Chord. The Film is Filled with Cameos of Well Known Faces and Co-Stars Alan Rickman as Robbins Muscle.Most Reviewers and Professional Critics now say that this is Perhaps the most Prophetic Political Satire Ever with the Possible Exception of "Citizen Kane" (1940).Turning the Right Wing and Left Wing on Their Heads, Robbins Plays "Bob Roberts", an Anti-Bob Dylan Folk Singer and Dylan is a LOL Thread Running through this Poke in the Eye at Hypocritical Conservative/Republican "Values".He Sings and Talks of Patriotism, Religion, the Flag, with a Hubris "Fox News" Utilizes with Irony on a Daily Basis. The Movie was made in 1992 and Foreshadowed Tea Party, Donald Trump, and the Current State of the 2016 Presidential Election. It's Uncanny Unveiling of Things to Come is its Strongest Appeal.Sharply Written, Acted, and Paced with the Ominous Destructive Warning of a Hurricane on the Radar, its Only Flaw is the Rather Heavy Handed/Over the Top Inclusion of the Clichéd and Predictable Assassination Attempt that is the Only Thing in this Winner that doesn't quite Work and seems Forced into the Narrative when it wasn't needed.Robbins is Simply Sublime as an Against-Type Portrayal and Gore Vidal as His Political Opponent was some sort of Genius Casting.

Okay, make no mistake: Bob Roberts is definitely not the most subtle film ever made. It's not so much a veiled attack on the American right-wing as it is an all singing, all dancing celluloid spit in the Republican party's face. It's also as paranoid as a junkie, and almost proudly one sided, which might be why it has slipped into relative obscurity - it's a film that could be very easily dismissed as a piece of left-wing propaganda, directed by and starring Tim Robbins, an outspokenly leftist actor.But, Bob Roberts is a film that deserves a lot more attention than it receives, largely because unlike a lot of political comedies, it's actually funny. Bob Roberts is a mockumentary about a right wing politician/folk singer named (unsurprisingly) Bob Roberts. Roberts is a kind of anti Bob Dylan, whose modus operandi is to emulate the spirit of the folk singing radicals and then deliberately turn their message on its head - he sings songs about enforcing the death penalty on drug dealers, and the positives of investing in the stock market. Dylan provides such an obvious touchstone for the character that it's arguable the whole film is as much a spoof of the Dylan documentary Don't Look Back as it is a political satire.  The songs are a good example of what makes this film work. Sure, they're unashamedly political and barbed - they're the kind of spoofs that you'll now find dime a dozen on youtube - but they are so painfully earnest and straightfaced that they're kind of hypnotic. In Bob Roberts, Robbins has created a character who absolutely believes the terrible and terrifying things he sings about, and he plays the part with a wide eyed enthusiasm that makes you laugh, but in that oh so unsettling "I'm genuinely disturbed by this" kind of way.  The jokes are totally underplayed, save for an out of place 'before they were famous' Jack Black cameo appearance. He's the only actor who inhabits his role as if it's meant to be funny, all but giving the audience a big fourth wall breaking wink. Everyone else, however, lets the humour come naturally from the insanity of what they're saying: they don't gurn to the camera. From Alan Rickman's performance as the shadowy Big Business agent to Gore Vidal as Bob Roberts' running mate, the rest of the cast play the thing totally straight-faced.Sure, the movie's pretty preachy, but it never becomes boring: at a lean 102 minutes, it's a freight train of a film, spitting out characters, situations, and genuinely thrilling plot twists.Best of all is the film's ending, which is as cutting as the punchline to a sick joke. There's no messing around to this one. The conclusion socks you in the guts then carries on its way, whistling Bob Roberts' "Drugs Stink" as it goes.

This film is about a singer's campaign to run for the Senate, against tough competition from the current Senator.Lots go on in the campaign for the Senate, so the plot is naturally fast paced and confusing. One minute, you see supporters of Bob Roberts praising him, another minute there are haters who say Bob Roberts have done illegal dealings. Maybe it is the filmmakers' wish to make it ambiguous as to which side is right, but there is one shot towards the end that makes the whole argument pretty clear.The songs are nice, but I think it is far too prominent in the the film. We are forced to watch the whole fake music video, or watch the whole live performance of a song many times in the film. The flow would have been better if we were just shown snippets of songs.

I hope I'll make it to show it in a cinema as a double feature with Pennebaker's Dylan-Documentary "Don't look back" because "Bob Roberts" is not only a funny satire about politics and music-business, it's a homage of course to Bob Dylan ans his early career but it is indeed a cover-version of "Don't Look back". For example the whole scene with the politician's wife and her gorgeous sons who even have their own band you can find almost similar in both movies. In fact you couldn't have understand this movie completely, if you've never seen the other. Andt thats of course it's only weakness - it's a kind of insider joke. Anyway, I'm looking forward to your new films Bob!