Review of Bamboozled (2000) by Keve S — 11 Oct 2009

I've tended to like every Spike Lee movie I've seen, but even with that positive outlook towards his work, there's no way of getting around how deeply flawed Bamboozled is. There are any number of flaws to focus on: the ugly and distracting DV, the way Lee sets up flat satirical characters then attempts to elicit emotion for them, the ridiculous plot-spiraling of the third act, but if I had to pick one, it would have to be Damon Wayans' spectacularly ill-conceived Sidney Poitier accent.

I understand Lee's point - that Wayans is desperately attempting to fit into the white corporate culture - but whether it's the accent or Wayans' inability to handle it, it's distracting, painful, and generally awful.

And, yes, thematically the movie is a bit of a mess, feeling more like a collection of Lee's ideas than a cohesive unit. So why am I still recommending it? Because for all of its flaws, Bamboozled still brings up important ideas, and when the film works - the haunting application of the face paint, the not-so-subtle-but-effective final montage, the discussion with Paul Mooney - it packs a hell of a wallop.

There's no way to watch the movie - which concerns a network executive so tired of demeaning portraits of black culture that he sarcastically pitches a modern minstrel show, which gets greenlit and becomes a massive hit - and miss Lee's point, but the lack of subtlety doesn't make the point any less valid.

Moreover, although the minstrel show itself may be a little excessive, Lee makes the point well throughout, with his hilarious "urban" commercials and his commentary on gangsta rap culture. Like I said, I can't deny that the movie is a mess, and I can't even say that it's a successful film.

What I can say is that it lingers and provokes, and while it may not always work, its thoughts and ideas go a long way toward redeeming the film. (If you're curious about the film, I highly recommend Nathan Rabin's re-assessment of the film; it's an excellent discussion about what it does right and wrong, and deals with the film better than I can in this short space.

).