We live in a screwed up world. That fact cannot be denied. War, poverty, hatred, diesease, violence, death, and pop music. This is not a utopia. But, perhaps the biggest screwed up part of the world is socitey. More specifically American society. Because American society and American culture has manuiplated..uh, influenced,...the youth of the world. From Russia to China. Australlia to Brazil. The youth of the world (now in the Middle East,) are eating McDonalds, watching MTV, and listening to rap music. But American society and American culture also have a dark side to them. A side which many people put away never to be seen or heard again. That dark side is the mistreatment of people of color. That darkside in the form of entertainment whose main purpose was to mock minorities and keep up negative stereotypes in our country. These attitudes were kept alive for 100s of years. From the Native Americans to the Chinese and Japaneese, to the Middle Easterners to the Hispanics. But no other minority has (or still is) the victim of more stereotypes and discrimation than the African American. From the offensive minstrel shows of the 1840's, to Amos and Andy in the 1950's, to, what Spike Lee claims, the hip-hop culture of the new millenium. No other race has suffered more humilation in the media than the African American. This is the focal point of Spike Lee's 2000 movie, Bamboozled. A story of how little we have come as a nation, to respecting other cultures and races. The main character is a man by the name of Pierre De La Crouix (Damon Wayans). He has shed his African heritage (as you can tell by the name), he speaks with a white, monotone accent. He wears sosphicated clothes, lives in a beautiful loft in Upper Manhattan, and refuses to call African Americans African Americans, instead calling them by the un-p.c. name of "Negro." Pierre works for a floundering station called WCN. (A rip-off of the W.B. Get it?) His boss is a cocky, arrogrant, ghetto talking, wigger acting man named Mr. Dumwitty. (Get that one?) He has a posters of African American athlethes in his office and loves using the word "nigga" claiming that since he was raised in the ghetto, has a "black wife and bi-racial children, I'm allow to use that word." (get it?) He even has the nerve to claim he is more black than Pierre. Pierre has written scripts for shows about smart, sosphicated, nice, Middle Class, Surbabian African Americans. (Kinda like the Cosby Show) that deal with real promblems and real issues. All have been shot down by Dumwitty, who wants a show about ghetto talking, baggy pants wearing, malt-liquor drinking, hip-hop listening, gangstas (sort of like Homeboys From Outer Space or Martin). This upsets Pierre who accuses Dumwitty of being a racist. His personal assistance, Sloan (Jada Pinkett Smith) asks why he just quits, but Pierre reminds her that if he quits, Dumwitty would just sue him for breach of contract. So, De La Crouix decides to create a show so offensive, so degrading, so insulting, so racist, that the network would have to cancel the show, Dumwitty would be furious, and fire him. This proves to be fateful mistake. He decides for the show to be a minstrel show. A minstrel show is an old sort of broadway show from the 1840's in which white actors painted themselves in a coal makeup called "Blackface", dancing and singing and making fun of African Americans. This crosses the line of good taste as pointed out by Sloan, just what Pierre wants. He hires two homeless, street performers named Manray (Savion Glover the tap dancer) and Charlie (Tommy Davidson)to be the two main characters of the show, Mantan and Sleep 'n' Eat. The other characters of the show include Sambo, Little Nigger Jim, Aunt Jemmina, Uncle Tom, and other offensive stereotypes of African Americans throughout history. Manray and Charlie seem hestitant at first of donning Blackface and acting like buffons every week, but Manray accepts it (more than Charlie), just so that he can show off his amazing (and I seriously mean this) tap dancing skills. Charlie also accepts for the promise of fame and fortune. So, at the first taping, Charlie and Manray don the blackface in a great scene showing them going through several emotions as they put it on: anger, sadness, embarrasment and finally acceptance. The audience at the taping is at first, appaled at the blackface. But soon, the audience (and all of us) start to warm up to the show and you can't blame them because the dialogue for the show is actually pretty funny but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Which I think is the point. Pierre is beaming, finally going to be fired from his crappy job!!! However, the premiere episode of "Mantan: The New Millieum Minstrel Show" as it is named, scores huge ratings. The show is a smash hit. Everyone is watching it. From families to the President Of The United States Of America (Get it?). Pretty quickly, everyone seems to forget the disgusting history of Blackface makeup and blackface becomes a national fad!! Mantan is the #1 Kids choice for Halloween costume. Meanwhile, Manray and Charlie are enjoying their newfound sucess as celebrities and cultural icons. Like Bart Simpson, Darth Vader, and Hulk Hogan, Mantan and Sleep 'N' Eat are loveable characters and a permament figures in the American media. Manray and Charlie sleep with prostitutes, drink expensive champenge, and party all night long. But most importantly, Pierre himself forgets his plan and starts to enjoy and a matter of fact, becomes OBSESS with the popularity of the show dreaming of emmys and love. In all this mess, Sloan seems to be the only one of the four friends (as they have all become), with a conscience. She keeps sending Pierre antique African American toys that are just stereotypes of them to try and change Pierre's mind and cancel the show. But Pierre is now consumed by greed and fame that the mocking of an entire race of people is something to ignore. Sloan ain't the only one unhappy. The Reverend Al Sharpton and Lawyer Johnny Cochran make cameos as a group of protesters protesting ths show. But that is nothing compared to a group of black muslim, militia revolutionaries known as The Mau-Maus. Led by Big Blak Africa a.k.a. Julius and Sloan's brother (rapper Mos Def), the Mau-Mau's see this show as the final degradation of the African race before the race war (despite the fact that they have a white anglo saxon protestant in their group played by Bubba Sparxxx. They also have rapper Charlie Baltimore in their group playing Smooth Blak.) begins. They decided that just protesting it wouldn't work and decide to take ACTION and when I say, action, I mean action. Soon, Manray starts to devlop an ego that alienates him from Charlie and Sloan. This makes Sloan question where his prioties lie: Being true and respecting others even when he is poor, or being an egomaniac, dispecting his people, and being a puppet for Pierre. After Charlie leaves the show relizing what he is doing, Pierre and Manray have a heartfelt emotional scene which sets the tone for the climax. The crowd, now decked out in blackface, now seem ignorant to the history of the makeup. Manray decides he has had enough of playing a buffoon and tries to take the stage not as Mantan; slave in a plantation who is stupid and lazy and dances all the time, but as Manray; homeless man who is an excellent tap dancer. This upsets Dumwitty (also in blackface) and he is kicked out from the show, giving the Mau-Mau's the perfect oppurtinity to kidnap him. They decide to torture him and plan to broadcast his DEATH live on t.v. On the night of the broadcast, the Mau-Mau's torture Manray with a "Dance Of Death" before ending his life with 14 gunshots to the body. The police, unfortunely, arrive a little too late, killing all the Mau-Mau's (including Sloan's brother Julius), and arresting Bubba Sparxxx's character. (Get it?) Pierre, who saw this all live, has relized what he has done. How, because of him, people have been killed. Sloan enters with a gun shooting him and ending his life in a sad, somber matter. But before the movie ends, there is an emotional 5-minute montage showing flat out RACIST scenes mocking and humilating African Americans throughout American film history. From early Minstrel footage, through the disgusting film Birth Of A Nation, to even Shirley Temple movies, from actors Al Jolsen, Bing Crosbey, and Mickey Rooney, to Amos and Andy. Even racist cartoons, showing African American characters as MONKIES! They are drawn as savages, buffoons, and even Bugs Bunny was in a racist cartoon. This last scene makes the movie alone, IMO. Rent it just for that. So, that is the review for bamboozled. All in all, the movie is very interesting, disturbing, and sad all at the same time. It really makes you think as you come out of it with the question: "Have I been laughing at a race this whole time?" "Have we gotten this far as a society?" And probalby the most interesting: "Does racism and stereotypes still exist in the media today?" I think so. But I won't explain why cuz it would be too long. Spike Lee should have just have a light shine throughout the entire movie with the words "Political Point" on them because the movie is full of them. I could have done with at least 30 minutes of this movie, at 2 hours 10 minutes, it drags a bit. But it is still a damn good flick, another underapperciated Spike Lee movie. Think about what you will see. You might be suprise with what you relize.
Elsewhere on this site
Back To Entertainment Reviews
Entrance Page
Links Page
Columns (Now ready for your viewing!!)
Music Reviews
Retro Pay-Per-View Reviews