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Spike Lee's BamboozledDaman Wayans and Michael Rapaport in Lee's Social Commentary
In a time when special effects are a bigger priority for movie producers than writing and acting, Bamboozled stands out as a welcome cerebral rental.
Bamboozled was written and directed by Spike Lee and released in 2000. The plot consists of an African-American named Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans) who is fed up with how blacks are portrayed in the media and sets out to either get fired and/or erase black stereotypes from the minds of the American society. He is successful at neither, but ends up, ironically, with a runaway hit TV show, Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show. Bamboozled CharactersIn his film, Delacroix’s character is a television network senior VP who’s ideas for black shows that portray blacks as successful and happy are rejected by his white boss, Thomas Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport). Dunwitty thinks that the “black” culture of Ebonics, rap, and poking fun at ancient stereotypes about African-Americans is what will sell. Thus, Delacroix proposes the ultimate blacks-for-entertainment idea: a minstrel show. Tried and true, he sees a minstrel show as no different than how blacks are exploited by the media today. Social CommentaryDunwitty loves the idea, and is happy that Delacroixis acting ‘more black’. Dunwitty sees himself as “blacker” than Delacroix because, unlike de la Croix, Dunwitty sees the idea of “blackness” not as a skin color, but as a fad. On the flip side, Delacroixis criticized for aspects of his personality that don’t mesh with societal expectations for African-Americans. The point that Lee is trying to make here is that society still feels as though they can dominate how blacks should be. He uses Dunwitty to show how the idea that blacks are here for our entertainment is perpetuated, as he looks to Delacroix, a white male, instead of an African-American, for the best black television show ideas. Has Society Really Changed Regarding Race and Entertainment?In the film, Delacroix does not let himself be subordinated by white expectations, and he sets his own standards for success. He knows he does not have to act “Black” to be accepted as an African-American, though his choice is the more difficult route for acceptance in American society. Delacroix wants to shove this show into America’s face to force them to “wake up” to the idea that black entertainment today is as stereotypical and offensive as it was during the turn of the last century. He feels that in many ways, African-Americans are still dominated by white people, except today the domination is sneakier than it used to be. Bamboozled's Final MessageBy the end of the film, we really get a sense that maybe we really haven’t gotten as far as we thought we had on the issue of race, and how the lack of progress affects African-Americans today. The question Spike Lee wants us to leave pondering is: are we laughing with or at African-Americans in America today?
The copyright of the article Spike Lee's Bamboozled in Drama DVD Reviews is owned by Stephanie Cox. Permission to republish Spike Lee's Bamboozled in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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