BAMBOOZLED - dir. spike lee
i can't remember where i read this, but this particular article put forth that no working director has more good ideas than spike lee...however, no director has as many bad ideas as him, either. spike lee is a provocateur: whether one agrees with his politics or even believe he makes good films, one must agree that he's never less than thought-provoking. i saw bamboozled over the weekend and, while i enjoyed it and think it's his best film in some time now, it still suffered from the unevenness that's plagued his last several films.
bamboozled is the story of a network writer who goes by the dubious name, pierre delacroix (damon wayans). as played by wayans, delacroix is a caricature: he's a harvard-educated man who, by all indications, is ashamed of his background and therefore changes his name and speaks in a ridiculous pseudo-french accent: he is what most people would call a "sell-out." delacroix becomes angered that none of his shows -- shows all about the black middle-class -- are getting anywhere. his white boss (michael rappaport, the actor called in when one wants a white guy to play "street"), married to a black wife with two biracial children and posters of black athletes covering his walls, demands that delacroix write something "black." delacroix decides that he wants out, but the only way that can happen is if he's fired. his solution? write something that's so offensive and so out there that the network has no choice but to can him.
the result: "mantan: the new millennium minstrel show," featuring two street performers, manray (savion glover) and womack (tommy davidson). the catch: everyone on the show will perform in blackface, except the cast will be all african-americans. imagine delacroix and his assistant's (played by jada pinkett-smith) surprise when the boss loves the idea and orders up twelve episodes. the show becomes a big hit and delacroix, initially upset, starts to revel in his success despite his assistant's pleas for some sanity. understandably, the nation is torn: the show inspires a blackface trend but is boycotted by al sharpton and johnnie cochrane. in particular, the show is despised by a "political" rap group called the mau maus led by big blak africa (mos def) who, ironically, tried out for the show. i'll stop here to keep from spoiling the rest of the film.
so who is lee taking shots at?
- most obviously, the wb and upn.
- "in living color"
- capitalism.
- a nation not willing to give serious black shows a chance.
- african-americans not willing to give black shows a chance.
- hypocritical rappers.
- white people who think degrees in african-american studies or being married to a black person or having black friends mean they have a unique understanding of african-americans.
- tommy hilfiger
- advertisers
- people who'd do anything for money.
- people who criticize others for making money.
at the heart of bamboozled lies this question: what is black? is black "the wayans brothers"? is black "the cosby show"? is it neither? delacroix's father is played by paul mooney , on one end of the spectrum, as a nightclub comedian. he's a very funny man and someone who i'd believe wayans' character, on the other end of that spectrum, plays in to stereotypes. even if that is the case, he's realer than delacroix.
on "bamboozled," the show, there are three characters who are important to our understanding of the film and its message. there's mantan (glover) who, like his partner womack, was once homeless, but, until the very end, enjoys all of the advantages that money and fame bring him: he's willing to do anything in order to do that which he loves, dancing, and to get paid for it. womack ("sleep'n'eat" on the show), in a particularly moving scene and in stark contrast to his partner, is seen crying as he applies the blackface to himself, right before he quits: to him, money isn't worth his dignity. finally, there's honey-cutta: when we first meet him, it seems that he's homeless, as well, but he's much older than the other two. the show is his big break and enables him to make have something late in his life. he's more than happy to do whatever's required of him. just as you're ready to judge everyone on the show for getting involved with something so vile, the character of honey-cutta makes you stop and ask: but who am i to say what people can and can't do for money? with his talent, mantan could very likely find other work, though it's possible he's been typecast for good; womack doesn't seem to care what the alternatives are: he left for the good of his soul; and honey-cutta reminds you that there's a scarcity of roles out there for african-americans, even in this new millennium, and that sometimes you do what you must.
wrapping up, there are, i feel, two main faults to the story. though they were good for comic effect, the mau-maus, given their important role in the film, should've been played straighter in order for the film to have more of an impact (and to make more sense) in the end. secondly, delacroix shouldn't have been given an inner dialogue given the way his character was played. at times, it seemed that whatever he felt was insignificant, that he was all surface like patrick bateman in american psycho. yet, at the end, his feelings played an integral part in the movie. he came across as a cartoon and to have the film hinge on his emotions lessened the effect.
as i left the theatre, i remarked, "that's a lot to process" and, indeed, it is. bamboozled is a font of ideas and it's lee's angriest film since do the right thing: if it possessed that classic's focus, it would've been a masterpiece. despite these flaws, though, bamboozled is still a film to see, and better yet, discuss.
(c) 2000 - fred solinger -
please do not reprint without permission.
