A filmmaker documents the rise of right wing folk singer Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins) as he runs for the Pennsylvanian Senate seat. Fringe reporter Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito) is investigating the murky connections of the campaign to drug smuggling. Lukas Hart III (Alan Rickman) is a behind the scenes operator and Chet MacGregor (Ray Wise) runs the campaign. Roberts is well connected to Wall Street inverting the rebel image. His campaign team is often trading stocks on the bus.
The aspect that bugged me most is the folk singer aspect. There is something old and tired about folk singing that shouldn't fit this concept. While I understand the corrupting of 60's idealism, it needs to bring it up to the 90's instead. Roberts never quite feels real. The movie needs him to be real. I do like Giancarlo Esposito and there is a lot in terms of skewering the political system. In general, this is a fine satire of the American political system.
The aspect that bugged me most is the folk singer aspect. There is something old and tired about folk singing that shouldn't fit this concept. While I understand the corrupting of 60's idealism, it needs to bring it up to the 90's instead. Roberts never quite feels real. The movie needs him to be real. I do like Giancarlo Esposito and there is a lot in terms of skewering the political system. In general, this is a fine satire of the American political system.