Bulworth
| Bulworth | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Warren Beatty |
| Produced by | Warren Beatty Lauren Shuler Donner Pieter Jan Brugge |
| Written by | Warren Beatty Jeremy Pikser Aaron Sorkin James Toback |
| Starring | Warren Beatty Halle Berry Oliver Platt Don Cheadle Paul Sorvino Jack Warden Isaiah Washington Christine Baranski Amiri Baraka |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
| Editing by | Billy Weber Robert C. Jones |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[1] |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 108 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Box office | $29,202,884[3] |
Bulworth is a 1998 American comedy-drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Warren Beatty. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah Washington. The film follows the title character, California Senator Jay Billington Bulworth (Beatty), as he runs for re-election while trying to avoid a hired assassin.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
A veteran U.S. Senate Democrat, Bulworth is losing his bid for re-election to a fiery young opponent. Bulworth's liberal views, formed in the 1960s and 1970s, have lost favor with voters, so he has conceded to conservative politics and to accepting donations from special interests. In addition, though he and his wife have been having affairs openly for years, they must still present a happy facade in the interest of maintaining a good public image.
Tired of politics and his life in general and planning to commit suicide, Bulworth negotiates a $10 million life insurance policy with his daughter as its beneficiary in exchange for a favorable vote from the insurance industry. Knowing that a suicide will negate his daughter's inheritance, he contracts to have himself assassinated within two days' time.
Turning up in California for his campaign extremely drunk, Bulworth begins speaking his mind freely at public events and in the presence of the C-SPAN film crew following his campaign. After ending up in a night club and smoking marijuana, he even starts rapping in public. His frank, potentially offensive remarks make him an instant media darling and re-energize his campaign.
Becoming romantically involved with young campaigner Nina, Bulworth hides out in her family's home. He is pursued by the paparazzi, his insurance company, his campaign managers, Nina's protective drug-dealing brother, and an increasingly adoring public, all before his impending assassination.
Nina reveals she is the assassin he indirectly hired and will now not carry out the job. Bulworth happily accepts a new campaign for the presidency right before he is shot in front of a crowd of reporters and supporters by an insurance representative fearful of Bulworth's push for single-payer health care.
Cast [edit]
- Warren Beatty as Senator Jay Bullington Bulworth
- Halle Berry as Nina
- Oliver Platt as Dennis Murphy
- Don Cheadle as L.D.
- Paul Sorvino as Graham Crockett
- Jack Warden as Eddie Davers
- Isaiah Washington as Darnell
- Christine Baranski as Constance Bulworth
- Amiri Baraka as Rastaman
- Joshua Malina as Bill Feldman
- Sean Astin as Gary
- Barry Shabaka Henley as the bartender
- Cameos
- William Baldwin as Constance's lover
- Larry King as himself
- Michael Clarke Duncan as Bouncer
- George Hamilton as himself
Production [edit]
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2012) |
Warren Beatty assembled a team of three writers: Aaron Sorkin, Jeremy Pikser, and James Toback. Due to family issues, Pikser contributed to the writing process remotely, communicating by phone and fax. Beatty also sought guidance from the writer Elaine May, but she was committed to working on the film Primary Colors with her former comedy partner, the director Mike Nichols.
Bulworth was made in complete stealth and released by 20th Century Fox only after protracted contractual wrangling, only for a brief period of time, and practically without any publicity. As Peter Swirski reports in his award-winning study of this film, "after 20th Century Fox backed out of producing Dick Tracy, Beatty used the leverage of a lawsuit to wangle unprecedented artistic freedom," disclosing only the barest outline of the story and essentially duping Fox into bankrolling the project.
Soundtrack [edit]
The soundtrack was released on April 21, 1998 by Interscope Records.
Reception [edit]
The film generated a great deal of controversy but received a positive reception from film critics.[4][5][6][7][8] It currently holds a 75% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2013, the New York Times reported that President Barack Obama had, in private, "talked longingly of 'going Bulworth,'" in reference to the film.[9]
Box office [edit]
The Los Angeles Times commented that Bulworth did "extremely well" on a limited release.[10][11] The film grossed $29,202,884 worldwide at the box office.
Awards [edit]
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71st Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser[3] | Nominated |
| 56th Golden Globe Awards | Best Screenplay | Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Bulworth | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Warren Beatty | Nominated | |
| 1998 Satellite Awards | Best Actor | Warren Beatty | Nominated |
| 1998 Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Screenplay | Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1998 | Best Screenplay | Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser | Nominated |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Screenplay (1998) | Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser | Won |
| 1998 Golden Lion Awards | Best Film | Bulworth | Nominated |
| 1999 NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress | Halle Berry | Nominated |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor | Don Cheadle | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute | 100 Years...100 Laughs | Bulworth[12] | Nominated |
References [edit]
- ^ Natale, Richard (1998-04-20). "The Competition Is Only on the Surface". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "BULWORTH (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 1998-09-18. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ a b "Bulworth". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
- ^ "Bulworth". Entertainment Weekly. 1998-05-22. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "Bulworth". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "No apologies for 'Bulworth'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "And ending will likely offend target audience". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (2010-10-10). "Hilarious `Bulworth' -- the truth sets a senator free". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ Baker, Peter (May 15, 2013), "Onset of Woes Casts Pall Over Obama’s Policy Aspirations", The New York Times, retrieved 2013-05-18
- ^ Welkos, Robert W. (1998-05-19). "Weekend Box Office; Audiences Still Flocking to 'Impact'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ Natale, Richard (1998-05-27). "Mixed Early Returns". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees
External links [edit]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bulworth |
- Bulworth at the Internet Movie Database
- Bulworth at Box Office Mojo
- Bulworth at Rotten Tomatoes
- Bulworth at Metacritic
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- 1998 films
- English-language films
- 1990s comedy films
- American films
- American comedy films
- American political comedy films
- American political satire films
- Films directed by Warren Beatty
- Films about elections
- Films set in California
- Films shot in California
- Films shot in Los Angeles, California
- 20th Century Fox films
