|
|
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
|
Bamboozled by Stephen Farber You have to give Spike Lee credit for trying so many different kinds of movies. He's directed gritty urban dramas (Do the Right Thing), an ambitious biographical film (Malcolm X), low-budget comedy (Girl 6), as well as an array of documentaries (Four Little Girls and his recent concert-film hit, The Original Kings of Comedy). Now, with Bamboozled, he's attempted nothing less than a Network-type satire of American television and our society's enduring racism. But if one can applaud Lee for trying to stretch, one can only be appalled by the results of his latest attempt to push the envelope. Bamboozled is a horrendous misfire that leaves one gaping at the discrepancy between Lee's high-flying ambition and his pitiful level of achievement. In the story he's concocted, a black executive (Damon Wayans) at a struggling television network comes up with an outrageous idea for a contemporary minstrel show featuring actors in blackface. To his surprise, "Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show" becomes an enormous hit and a startling cultural phenomenon. PAGE 1 | 2 |
 |
|
|
Even satire has to have a minimal level of credibility, and the fatal flaw of Lee's movie is that he never comes close to convincing us this cockamamie series would captivate the public. Lee never provides the slightest insight into how or why this particular racist show could become a bonanza. We simply have to accept the premise on faith. Lee might say that it catches on because America is a deeply racist society, but in truth, the minstrel-show concept would generate so much controversy that it would never get on the air, let alone enthrall millions of viewers. Maybe if Lee's new-millennium minstrel show were truly stylish, energetic and entertaining, we could begin to buy the dubious premise. But despite the tap-dancing skills of Savion Glover, who plays the homeless bum tagged to star as Mantan, the minstrel program seems flat and idiotic. Even worse, this is a satire without a single decent joke. It drags on for over two hours hammering home the same simplistic point. Lee ends Bamboozled with a lengthy montage of demeaning images of blacks from movies and TV shows of the last century. Yes, it's true that Hollywood has a lot to answer for in its portrayals of blacks as patsies and fools. But this fraudulent, self-important movie does little to rectify the situation. What did you think of this movie? Sound off in the Movie Forum. PAGE 1 | 2 |
|
|
| home | forum | this month | reviews archive | features archive | back issues | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 © 2003 Movieline.com |
 |