Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts is a 1992 American satirical mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing 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 folk music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto.
Plot
Bob Roberts takes place in Pennsylvania in 1990. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between a conservative Republican 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 whom he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations.
Awards
Cast
- Adam Simon
- Alan Rickman
- Allan F. Nicholls
- Anita Gillette
- Bob Balaban
- David Strathairn
- Eva Amurri
- Fisher Stevens
- Fred Ward
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Gore Vidal
- Harry Lennix
- Helen Hunt
- Jack Black
- James Spader
- Jeremy Piven
- John Cusack
- Kathleen Chalfant
- Kelly Willis
- Lynne Thigpen
- Matthew Faber
- Ned Bellamy
- Pamela Reed
- Paul Quinn
- Peter Gallagher
- Ray Wise
- Rebecca Jenkins
- Robert Stanton
- Shira Piven
- Steve Pink
- Susan Sarandon
- Tim Robbins
- Tom Atkins