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Speaking of that script, Berry and Don Cheadle (as the neigh crack dealer) passionately deliver urban-themed dialogue that sounds lifted from an episode of Family Matters. Add to this an elderly homeless man who follows Bulworth around like Ghetto Yoda, spouting obvious non sequiturs that are meant to be self-elucidating by virtue of the fact that they’re spoken with conviction. But neither the character nor his insane sputtering has impact on the story, and that’s really the biggest problem I have with the film in general. Gibberish doesn’t become profound just because you’re speaking earnestly. What’s the message here? That politicians lie? That a largely apathetic populace deserves it? That elderly black people give the best advice? That rap music is the best way to express a political position? About an hour into the movie, Bulworth becomes enamored with hip hop, and spends the rest of the film freestyling. Yes. Warren Beatty raps, and he’s actually not as bad as you’d think.

But it’s distracting, it’s confusing, and it’s really not clear what the point is. Bulworth makes a lot of noise, but it also never makes much of a point. Beatty comes across like a man whose politics have fallen out of style and whose influence has waned, and now there’s nothing left to do but kick and scream and make a movie where you make out with Halle Berry and freestyle about single payer health care and hope someone gives you an Oscar. I can only assume Beatty got his interpretation of black culture exclusively by watching episodes of Good Times. The basic concept here is amusing - a politician who’s become just as cynical as his constituents? Who is estranged from his values and his family? Who hires an assassin to end it all but begins to reconsider as his newfound candor helps him reconnect with voters?

That’s actually pretty brilliant. But the execution of it, not so much. Bulworth’s cynicism is not well defined, his motives are inconsistent, and the reconnection he experiences on the campaign trail is not plausible. There’s a scene late in the movie, where the Senator is addressing a group of donors from the film industry. He makes some startling remarks about Hollywood and the quality of product coming out of the industry, and openly wonders why he should be accepting their money. The moment is meant to be ironic, but instead you find yourself agreeing with him. Yes, Senator, Hollywood movies ARE a bunch of self-serving drivel!

The scene is amusing in ways that I doubt Beatty intended, and the same can be said of the film as a whole. I don’t know if it’s worth watching, any more than it’s worth it to drink an entire gallon of milk in one minute for five dollars. It all depends on how you view risk and reward. Bulworth takes a lot of risks, but I promise you, the rewards are few and far between.

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