Movie Description
Spike Lee turns up the controversy notch once again with BAMBOOZLED, a sizzling satire on race and racism within the modern media world. Harvard-educated writer Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), the only black employee on the staff of a struggling television network, suggests the most absurd idea for a pilot that he can possibly imagine, hoping it will convince his tyrannical boss, Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), to terminate his contract and fire him. However, his plan backfires and his idea--MANTAN THE NEW MILLENNIUM MINSTREL SHOW--finds great success. The show is a stereotypical and racially charged depiction of the tap-dancing Mantan (Savion Glover) and Sleep 'n' Eat (Tommy Davidson), two lazy, homeless black men who spend their days in a watermelon patch. As the show becomes a national sensation, Delacroix, his assistant Sloan Hopkins (Jada Pinkett), as well as her older brother, aspiring rapper Big Black Af' (Mos Def), begin to see the harm the show is causing the community, triggering outbursts with deadly consequences. Shot on digital video, Lee uses his basic premise to mock and accuse today's entertainers (including Chris Rock, Ving Rhames, gangsta rappers, and Lee himself) for being modern reincarnations of the stereotypical caricatures that were so offensive in the past. The result is a biting commentary that is at turns hysterical, absurd, and poignant.
| Credits | | Producer: | Jon Kilik | | Cast: | Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson |
| Details | | Sound: | Stereo Sound, Surround Sound |
Notes
Theatrical release: October 6, 2000.
Shot on location in New York City.
Like Spike Lee's THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY, the film was shot on digital video.
Owen Glieberman of Entertainment Weekly named BAMBOOZLED one of the 10 best films of 2000.
Editorial Reviews
"Spike Lee has grabbed a tiger by the tail in his scabrously risky new comedy, BAMBOOZLED. The wonder is how long he succeeds in hanging on..."
New York Times - p.E14 - Stephen Holden
Ranked #8 in Entertainment Weekly's "Owen Gleiberman's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" -- ..."Giddy with outrage, Lee tears off the mask of propriety and stomps up and down on it..."
Entertainment Weekly - pp.106-17 - Owen Gleiberman
"...[BAMBOOZLED] isn't afraid to shoot comic darts at its targets until blood is drawn....Damon Wayons brings vigorous wit to [his] role..."
Rolling Stone - p.122 - Peter Travers
"...BAMBOOZLED is a picture of genuine importance....BAMBOOZLED ranks among the director's finest pictures..."
Sight and Sound - p.42-3 - Xan Brooks
"...Challenging....Brave and contentious..."
Total Film - p.97 - Jamie Graham
"...Savage, abrasive, audacious and confrontational, BAMBOOZLED is the work of a master provocateur..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (10/06/2000)
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