Review of Bulworth (1998) by Caleb M — 07 Aug 2009

Bulworth manages to be a hilarious political satire even while it's straining to keep up with its slightly out of focus plot. Beatty is great here, playing a senator so under pressure that he takes a hit out on himself only to find the change the life-or-death scenario puts him in turns him into a better man.

The screenplay (by Beatty and Jeremy Pikser is smart and funny, and for the most part this could stand alongside Dr. Strangelove in terms of how smart and fun it is. Unfortunately the plot does feel a bit claustrophobic, and things sometimes happen only because, well, the plot requires that they happen, but overall Beatty manages to keep things fun and engaging.

Plus, I can't remember the last role Halle Berry had where she was more than just a pretty plaything. In fact, was Monster's Ball REALLY the last theatrical project she has done that had substance (X2 doesn't count because her role is so small and hardly anyone cares for Storm when they could have Wolverine or Nightcrawler, am I right?)?