Bulworth

Critics Consensus

Star and director Beatty's ambitious take on race and politics in 20th-century America isn't perfect, but manages to provide more than its share of thought-provoking laughs.

76%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 66

68%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 20,605
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Movie Info

Warren Beatty directed, co-produced (with Pieter Jan Brugge), co-scripted (with Jeremy Pikser), and stars in this political satire, a comedy drama about a U.S. senator who decides to start speaking the truth. Despondent California senator Jay Bulworth (Beatty), up for re-election, is disillusioned by the usual campaign banalities; his marriage to Constance (Christine Baranski) seems equally hollow. In the midst of a nervous breakdown, Bulworth goes without sleep or food for three days and takes out a ten-million-dollar insurance policy on himself while arranging his own assassination. Drinking during a return to Los Angeles, Bulworth is scheduled to speak at an African-American church in South Central L.A. Once there, he tosses aside his prepared speech, startling both the audience and his campaign manager, Murphy (Oliver Platt), by improvising truthful remarks instead of the familiar rhetoric. These loose-cannon salvos gain the attention of an attractive young woman, Nina (Halle Berry). Bulworth finds an exhilaration with this new freestyle approach, and after shocking a gathering in Beverly Hills with further fulminations, Bulworth invites Nina and her girlfriends into his limo. During a spaced-out sojourn at one of South Central's more frenzied after-hours clubs, Bulworth gains respect for hip-hop culture.Still reeling from insights gained by this nightlife, he arrives the next day for a fundraising function at the Beverly Wilshire, startling everyone with a diatribe delivered in the intonations of a rap artist. His interest in Nina and his new optimistic outlook on life give Bulworth a sense of elation and a will to live. He phones to call off the hit, but the gears have been set in motion. After an assumed hitman turns up during a church appearance, Bulworth flees, and Nina offers him a safe-house hideout at the home of her family, veterans of the civil rights movement. Here Bulworth goes through the final steps in his transformation -- making a Kennedy-styled connection with the disenfranchised as he tunes in to forgotten memories of the '60s. Outfitted in homeboy clothing, the born-again Bulworth heads for a TV station to unleash even more caustic comments on the American political scene. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Cast

Warren Beatty
as Sen. Jay Bulworth
Halle Berry
as Nina
Don Cheadle
as L.D.
Oliver Platt
as Dennis Murphy
Paul Sorvino
as Graham Crockett
Jack Warden
as Eddie Davers
Isaiah Washington
as Darnell
Joshua Malina
as Bill Feldman
Christine Baranski
as Constance Bulworth
Richard C. Sarafian
as Vinnie
Amiri Baraka
as Rastaman
Laurie Metcalf
as Mimi
Sean Astin
as Gary
Wendell Pierce
as Fred
Michèle Morgan
as Cheryl
Ariyan Johnson
as Tanya
Larry King
as Himself
Nora Dunn
as Missy Berliner
Kimberly Deauna Adams
as Denisha
Jackie Gayle
as Macavoy
Helen Martin
as Nina's Mother
Vinny Argiro
as Debate Director
George Furth
Kirk Baltz
as Debate Producer
Ernie Banks
as Leroy
Adilah Barnes
as Mrs. Brown
Graham Beckel
as Man with Dark Glasses
Brandon N. Bowlin
as Bouncer 2
Mongo Brownlee
as Henchman 3
Thomas Jefferson Byrd
as Uncle Rafeeq
J. Kenneth Campbell
as Anthony
Scott Michael Campbell
as Head Valet
Jann Carl
as Herself
Kerry Cantanese
as Video Reporter 4
Dave Allen Clark
as Himself
Terry Cooley
as Henchman 2
Kevin Cooney
as Reverend Wilberfore
Christopher Curry
as Journalist
Stanley DeSantis
as Manny Liebowitz
Michael Clarke Duncan
as Bouncer
Jerry Dunphy
as Himself
Chris Mulkey
as Cop 2
Lou Myers
as Uncle Tyrone
Shawna Hagler
as Technical Director
Jonathan Roger Neal
as Little Gangsta
Ron Ostrow
as Staff Member
Norman Parker
as Irwin Tannenbaum
James Pickens Jr.
as Uncle David
Kenneth Randle
as Little Gangsta
Tony Tomas Randle
as Little Gangsta
Arthur Reggie III
as Little Gangsta
Adrian Ricard
as Aunt Alice
Ava Rivera
as Video Reporter 3
Robert Scheer
as Journalist
Sam Shamshak
as Fundraiser Guest
Sarah Silverman
as 2nd American Politics Assistant
Brooke Skulski
as Reporter
Bee-Be Smith
as Aunt Harriet
Roberto Soto
as Reporter
Florence Stanley
as Dobish
Quinn Sullivan
as Fundraiser Server
JoAnn D. Thomas
as Rapper
Robin Thomas
as Reporter in Hallway
Sheryl Underwood
as Woman at Frankie's
Gary H. Walton
as Bouncer 4
Andrew Warne
as Video Reporter
Lee Weaver
as Man in Church 2
Kenn Whitaker
as Henchman 1
Jermaine Williams
as Paul Robeson
John Witherspoon
as Reverend Morris
Sumiko Telljohn
as Lady at Banquet
George Hamilton
as Himself
William Baldwin
as Constance Bulworth's Lover
Paul Mazursky
as Himself
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Critic Reviews for Bulworth

All Critics (66) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (16)

  • It's a sharp, brave movie, a little ragged around the edges, but that's to its advantage.

    Jun 24, 2006 | Full Review…

    Geoff Andrew

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • What gives Bulworth its unique character is that all this silliness is periodically punctuated by cogent, carefully thought-out mini-manifestos...

    Feb 14, 2001 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

    Kenneth Turan

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • Bulworth is an angry movie, but Beatty is savvy enough to recognize that people respond better to comedies than serious "issue films," so he has camouflaged his message beneath the surface of this original, incisive satire.

    Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    James Berardinelli

    ReelViews
    Top Critic

  • Bulworth plays like a cry of frustrated comic rage. It's about an archetypal character who increasingly seems to stand for our national mood: the guy who's fed up and isn't going to take it anymore.

    Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Roger Ebert

    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic

  • A shrewd political observer for decades, Beatty has fashioned a hilarious morality tale that delivers a surprisingly potent, angry message beneath the laughs.

    Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

    Edward Guthmann

    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic

  • As writer, director and star, Beatty flails all over the screen, but he's also made the only recent political satire that draws blood.

    Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…

    Charles Taylor

    Salon.com
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for Bulworth

  • Jul 25, 2013
    Pretty run of the mill crap. I think Beatty was going for a big message and instead he just embarrasses himself. The whole Beatty-Halle Berry romance seems contrived and a bit gross. Bulworth whimpers while he thinks he is roaring.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Mar 11, 2013
    A bit too broadly played by Warren Beatty in the main, this satire isn't massively subtle but does have - clearly - very serious points to make, with some surprising poignancy in later stages. Excellent ensemble cast.
    Daniel P Super Reviewer
  • Jun 04, 2011
    Intelligently written, consistently funny, perfect acting, always surprising and never for a second dull, Mr. Beatty has written and directed a farce of the highest quality that handles sociological problems better than most dramas. 'Bulworth' is a godsend from the Hollywood machine.
    Jonny B Super Reviewer
  • Nov 29, 2010
    A decent social/political satire.
    Thomas J Super Reviewer
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