Politics & Film Series: Bob Roberts (1992)

Millionaire conservative Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins) launches an insurgent campaign against incumbent senator Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal), firing up crowds at his rallies by singing ’60s-style acoustic folk songs with lyrics espousing far-right conservative social and economic views. Investigative journalist Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito) shadows the Roberts campaign, trying to connect Roberts to a drug-trafficking scheme, but an assassination attempt lays suspicion on both men. Many of the messages that have resonated powerfully in our time are presciently previewed here.

This film is the fourth in a five-part series entitled HOW IN THE WORLD DID WE GET HERE?? American Politics and Film.

Michael Krasner, political science professor emeritus and long-time political activist, designed this series to provide an entertaining framework for political analysis, and will introduce each film and then lead in-depth discussions after each showing.