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Movies / On DVD / Bamboozled
Bamboozled

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Bamboozled (2000)

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Reviews Counted:95

Fresh:45

Rotten:50

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: Bamboozled is too heavy-handed in its satire and comes across as more messy and overwrought than biting.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] strong language and some violence

Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins

Genre: Television

Theatrical Release:Oct 6, 2000 Limited

Box Office: $1,883,628

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Michael Rapaport, Tommy Davidson

Starring: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Michael Rapaport, Tommy Davidson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mos Def

Director: Spike Lee

Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Jon Kilik
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Studio: New Line Cinema

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 17, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Bamboozled

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
splat
C

Dennis Schwartz

Lee, in his least commercial film, shoots for controversy but loses focus.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 08 2009 07:15 AM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

N/R

Stacie Hougland

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 10 2009 03:15 AM

Hollywood.com

splat

Jonathan Rosenbaum

This is basically sloppy, all-over-the-map filmmaking with few hints of self-criticism and few genuine laughs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 23 2008 12:21 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
3/5

Bob Grimm

Spike Lee’s shotgun attack on the treatment of blacks in television and the blurring of image and identity is a brilliant rant that digresses into repetitive sermonizing.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:15 AM

Sacramento News & Review

splat
2/5

Rob Gonsalves

A particularly painful mess, because it begins so well and has such promise.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 23 2007 07:46 AM

eFilmCritic.com

splat

Andrew Sarris

If Mr. Lee meant to bring back blackface entertainment as a metaphor for the current black performers he finds obnoxious, he has miscalculated.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 27 2007 03:15 AM

New York Observer

splat

Mark Bourne

...where most of us in his audience will lean forward to hear a whisper, we turn away from a shout. Oh, how Bamboozled shouts.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 06 2006 04:44 PM

DVDJournal.com

splat

Wally Hammond

Lee's satire on American TV is an intriguing failure.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 26 2006 03:15 AM

Time Out

tomato
4.5/5

Ron Wells

The director's new masterpiece is a summation of nearly everything he has learned as a filmmaker, and about black culture, but he doesn't feel the need to beat the audience over the head for each lesson he's trying to impart.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:33 PM

Film Threat

tomato
3/4

James Kendrick

Lee's basing the movie in satire was a smart move because in it he can push the envelope harder than drama or straight comedy would have allowed.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 21 2004 05:04 PM

Q Network Film Desk

splat
2/4

Jeanne Aufmuth

He hammers his point home until the viewer is emotionally beaten into submission and manipulated into a consenting stance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 14 2003 05:05 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

tomato
B

Nick Davis

Spike Lee has made one of the few films in the year 2000 that is actually about something, and for that he deserves great credit.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 10 2003 08:09 AM

Nick's Flick Picks

tomato
3/5

Matthew Turner

Extremely heavy-handed satire from director Spike Lee -- disturbing and thought-provoking but ultimately lacking a sense of focus.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2002 08:08 AM

ViewLondon

splat
2.5/4

Jeffrey M. Anderson

A passionate movie bursting with ideas, but it's also a huge mess.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 11 2002 03:28 PM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
3.5/4

Kevin N. Laforest

Spike Lee's back, with a vengeance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2002 08:06 AM

Montreal Film Journal

splat
F

Brent Simon

Empty-headed and unspeakably undisciplined… [the] question bears asking: Has Spike Lee -- the living, breathing antithesis of subtlety -- gone completely insane?

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 30 2002 10:11 AM

Entertainment Today

splat
2.5/5

Tim Cogshell

It is an inspired but difficult film that poses many questions and takes almost everyone to task, yet offers few suggestions as to what is to be done with this infamous legacy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 05 2002 08:06 AM

Boxoffice Magazine

splat
2.5/4

Rick Groen

At his best, Spike Lee is too brave to be subtle.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 19 2002 08:05 AM

Globe and Mail

splat
2.5/5

Rich Cline

By relaxing and opening up his approach just a little he could have said much more.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 10 2001 06:25 PM

Shadows on the Wall

splat
68/100

Mike DeWolfe

Beyond the strong acting, there’s a lack of focus about the Delacroix character.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 19 2001 10:31 AM

Apollo Guide

 
 
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Latest News for Bamboozled

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