Such is the case with Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts. Originally a mere mockumentary following the titular senatorial hopeful's (Robbins) campaign trail, in the thirty-plus years since its release, it now serves as an uneasy foreshadowing of what was to come following the Obama administration. As such, what Robbins intended as satire becomes far more scathing in hindsight.
Released the same year Clinton was elected, Bob Roberts takes a look at the behind-the-scenes business of a political campaign. Sounds cut and dry, right? Well, it would be were Roberts not the smooth-talking sleazebag of a right-winger (or your standard right-winger, really). And boy, does he know how to play an audience. (Ring any bells?)
Similar to what Robbins did in The Player that same year, Bob Roberts takes a hard look at an otherwise ruthless field to show the depths of how low someone will stoop to in order to get what they want. That's what satire is, after all -- it makes you realize the failings of life; the problem is when you should stop laughing.
Bob Roberts, all these years later, has become less of a mockery of politics and more of a warning for them. There are people who work exactly the way Roberts does, using jargon to thinly veil their true intentions without anyone catching on. And they will vote for them all the same. (And yes, Robbins himself is dismayed that his directing debut "came true".)
My Rating: ****1/2