Bamboozled (2000)

Short: Exasperated with coming up with PC programming for a black audience, an executive, Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), suggests a return to the racist minstrel shows of the early days of television, starring a street hoofer, Manray/Mantan (Savion Glover), and his manager, Womack/Sleep 'n' Eat (Tommy Davidson). Much to his chagrin, the network goes for it.

I was thinking about Spike Lee yesterday, and it occurred to me that the stupid ramblings of a stoned teen in another of his movies, 25th Hour, are actually how I feel about Lee's filmmaking: he is truth. Well, not spiritual truth, but truth nonetheless. Sure, his tongue is firmly planted in his cheek. Let that idea not negate the fact that he is full willing to tell it like it is when everyone else wants to run and hide from the T. He wrote and directed this simultaneously hilarious and depressing escapade, and he tells it with as much honesty as he can considering the convoluted plot. Or is it?

I'm with Pierre's father on this one: where did he get that accent? Honestly, listening to him made me want to rip my ears off and throw them at the screen. Plus, he changes a kick name (Peerless Dothan) into a poncy French name. Yes, I get that that is a comment on what Pierre thought he would have to do to make it in the industry, but you can't fault me for getting upset about the denial of personal history.

Of course, the most hilarious/depressing part of the film (in my opinion) occurs when Pierre's boss, Thomas Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), explains to Pierre that he is much more black. Yes, that's right, the white man tells the black man how to be more "black". How do these ideas occur to Lee? Do these sorts of things actually happen to him? You know what? I bet they do. And that makes me want to vomit.

Okay, I made the movie sound worse than it really is. It's really, really good, but it deals with the kind of stuff that can make me very upset. So, it might upset you. That shouldn't stop you from seeing it.