Stars: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rapaport, Thomas Jefferson Byrd

Director: Spike Lee

Summary: An educated black TV writer proposes reviving the minstrel show but this time with black stars with even blacker faces....

Spike Lee turns up the controversy notch once again with BAMBOOZLED, a sizzling satire on race and racism within the modern media world. Harvard-educated writer Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), the only black employee on the staff of a struggling television network, suggests the most absurd idea for a pilot that he can possibly imagine, hoping it will convince his tyrannical boss, Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), to terminate his contract and fire him. However, his plan backfires and his idea--MANTAN - THE NEW MILLENNIUM MINSTREL SHOW--finds great success. The show is a stereotypical and racially charged depiction of the tap-dancing Mantan (Savion Glover) and Sleep 'n' Eat (Tommy Davidson), two lazy, homeless black men who spend their days in a watermelon patch. As the show becomes a national sensation, Delacroix, his assistant Sloan Hopkins (Jada Pinkett-Smith), as well as her older brother, aspiring rapper Big Black Af' (Mos Def), begin to see the harm the show is causing the community, triggering outbursts with deadly consequences. Shot on digital video, Lee uses his basic premise to mock and accuse today's entertainers (including Chris Rock, Ving Rhames, gangsta rappers, and Lee himself) for being modern reincarnations of the stereotypical caricatures that were so offensive in the past. The result is a biting commentary that is at turns hysterical, absurd, and poignant.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

Bamboozledis that rarity in Hollywood cinema, a sharp but subtle satire by Spike Lee, America's most important black director. A TV producer trying to expose the racism of his corporation conceives an idea for a new show. It's back to the Black and White Minstrels, reincarnated in glorious colour. He can't believe it when his ironic suggestion is taken up by the company and becomes a huge hit. Lee manages to show us just what's wrong with stereotypes of blacks, and yet acknowledge just how easily even black people themselves can be seduced by them. It's a pity about the ending, which explodes in a hail of bullets, quite inappropriately for such a film, but up till then there are plenty of laughs and much food for thought.

On the DVD: the many extras include Lee's informative audio commentary on the film and a 50-minute "making of" documentary, plus 10 scenes deleted from the final version, some posters, a couple of music videos and the theatrical trailer. --Ed Buscombe

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Audio Commentary With Spike Lee, Documentary, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Music Videos, Cast And Crew, Artwork Gallery
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2000
Release Date:	July 16, 2001
Runtime:	130 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9096
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Wide, Screen, Drama, Bamboozled
Genre:	Drama