Greenman's Movie Review - Bulworth

Warren Beatty stars as California Senator Jay B. Bulworth, a Democrat incumbent running for re-election in 1996.  During the California primaries, the Senator becomes distraught over his career and personal life.  After going three days without food or sleep, the Senator takes out a huge life-insurance policy on himself, then hires a hit man to assassinate him.  Figuring his life is over, he attends several functions and begins giving speeches no one expects.  At a black church in South Central LA, he begins a tirade about how the Democratic party has abandoned the black race. At a Beverly Hills fundraiser, he tears into movie makers (who are mostly Jewish) about how their films have fallen to please only the lowest common denominator among filmgoers.

Neither of these functions are what the attendees or his campaign manager Murphy (Oliver Platt) expected.  As Murphy goes into BIGTIME spin control, Bulworth becomes very interested in a young black woman named Nina (Halle Berry).  He invites her and her friends to follow him along as he makes numerous speeches and photo-ops.  Nina luckily has Bulworth’s ear, and she invites him into her world, which involves family members who were active in the 60’s, and her brother’s troubled life involving drug dealers.  Slowly he morphs into a rap singing rebel who suddenly takes up the “black issues” theme while speaking out against big money and their grip on politics.

On one level, the film is kind of cute - “Watch old white honkey rap —- BADLY.” But on another level, the film provides a sort of soap box for Beatty to talk about the issues that he finds important (tax the wealthy, end big money’s influence, more programs to help the poor, and yes, take another look at socialism).  Most people who consider themselves Progressives will find this wonderful, while those with a more conservative way of thinking will simply roll their eyes.  Greenman however found the whole thing a little too Silly to take seriously.  Beatty is ridiculous as a 60 year old rapper chilling with the homeys in the hood, and that may be the film’s Achilles heel.  The more foolish scenes may have torn up any inroads Beatty may have made concerning social issues.

The film is aimed at younger viewers who would probably agree with most of Beatty’s views, however older viewers would most likely be put off by the vulgar rap profanity.  Many of the issues brought up are certainly worth talking about, although I’m not sure that I agree with most of his solutions.  On a scale of five stars, with five being the best, I give BULWORTH a **1/2.
                     — GREENMAN