We all have those memories of going to the theaters as children. We remember sitting in those theaters and taking in awe from the bright wall in a dark room. I definitely had plenty of those during the 1990s when I was stuck at a summer camp program in Paramount, CA. We’d often go to the movies and it was a great way to pass the time. We’d often go to the local theater across the street near the swap meet, though every now and then we’d go to the cheap theater that was a bit of a drive. We’d take the bus down there.
So I was in a bit of an odd position in 1998 when this kid encouraged me to sit separately from the group. As a nine-year-old, I just took them at their word and had an aisle seat, believing that I would just catch up with them after the show was over. On one hand, I was a few feet shorter than just about everyone in that room, so that was a more difficult task. Add in that this was a theater that catered to dimmed lighting for a stylized aesthetic, and everyone looked the same in that crowded hallway after the show.
As I was busy looking for them, I got to see the movie posters for upcoming attractions lining the walls. I can’t tell you what any of those movies in 1998 were, but there was one that was scarred in my head. Not only was I torn from the group, potentially stuck in a city with no way to get back, but I had this image to deal with that I’d have to grapple with for the rest of my life.
I may have found the group and acted like nothing had happened, but in my moment of despair, I had a bigger thing to worry about. I don’t know that anyone in 1998 standing in that hallway was scarred, but I’m sure we all shared one shared opinion: why does Bulworth (1998) exist? Who asked for this movie that in hindsight couldn’t be made at any other point in history?
Before I get into describing this poster, I feel like you need to know a few things. There was a time when Warren Beatty was one of the biggest auteurs in the Hollywood system, having starred in films like Bonnie & Clyde (1967) and directed others like Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Reds (1981). He’s known for quality and nuanced commentary that made his films exceptional pieces of entertainment. Given that he hadn’t directed a film since the juggernaut Dick Tracy (1990), you’d think that his next project would be profound…
Well, yes and no. Bulworth was a political satire about a politician who has a midlife crisis. That’s fertile ground for comedy. This was the height of the Bill Clinton administration: a time of prosperity when the culture wasn’t as fraught as it is today. What could Beatty possibly do to say something substantial during this time?
Audiences today won’t be able to appreciate what the zeitgeist of 1998 was like. Most specifically the part where Beatty, then in his 60s, decided that the way to restore his image is by becoming a rapper. If it wasn’t clear, Beatty is a white man and is not the “dopest” of performers. Oh yeah, and of all insightful voices to write the script, The West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin took a pass on it. Not exactly getting the youth vote here. It’s at best considered one of the most unique studio movies of the decade. On the worst side, it set the “white people can rap” movement back at least 15 years, with one of our greatest living auteurs reducing himself to Rappin’ Granny shtick. If you think that Lil Dicky is bad in Dave?
Well, watch this:
For what it’s worth, I don’t think that the film exists solely as a gimmick. It’s the tagline that gets you in the door. If you want to see something that is batshit insane, it’s only kind of that. If you think it’s funny to watch a white guy dressed in urban styles, then you might get something out of this. All of his raps are done to improve his favorability ratings with the public, and there’s plenty of rational commentary in it. Beatty does confront the urban community that he appropriates, finding a way to make his liberal platform far more appealing. Though consider that Bulworth exists in a time where rap was still considered dangerous, the joke was that Beatty was neutering its impact.
It’s a dated premise and becomes something equal parts fascinating and awful when you consider that Beatty is one of the pickiest directors. Following Bulworth, he wouldn’t direct another movie until Rules Don’t Apply (2016). This isn’t just him taking a paycheck. He clearly thought that this movie needed to be made, and I think the only positive in all of this is that he made it at the time when it would seem most vital, where the older audiences were trying to reach the youth in significant ways. That meant wearing your baseball cap sideways and crossing your arms poorly like you just heard about hugging in a picture-free manual.
I don’t hate Bulworth, but I am disappointed that it’s nowhere near as fascinating as its poster. That isn’t to say that it lacks elements that are worthy of talking about. It has all of the hallmarks of a Beatty production, and it just so happens to feature a pre-Oscar Halle Berry in a supporting role. There’s plenty to love in this, such as the excellent song “Ghetto Superstar,” which puts Beatty within one degree of Pras, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Mya. It’s one of life’s great mysteries.
So, let’s get back to the poster. I think that having a larger context allows the rest to make sense. The story of a politician going insane and reinventing his image informs what the image is, but I don’t think you can dare explain why it feels so vulgar, so confrontational, and demanding for you to wonder what you’re looking at.
The poster centers around two different Beatty’s. One is the suit-and-tie man with well-combed hair. The other is the urban version, whose verses will inspire the youth to get out there and believe in his mission statement.
How do you show that duality? Most people would settle for a dual approach, whether by showing both perspectives standing next to each other, or create a split-screen that contrasts something as simple as the way they wear their clothes or hair. This is how the conventional marketing department would show an odd couple or a mental break. The insanity is expressed very clearly and draws you in. You get the gist. Now just wait for the film to open.
No, Bulworth thought that it was better to go with a horror movie approach. Remember how in Alien (1979) when they had the chest-burster sequence? It’s sudden and you become horrified by the sight, wondering how the human body could contain such horrors underneath.
That is exactly how I feel looking at this. There may not be any blood or grotesque liquids pouring out of the Beatty’s, but I still feel like I’m watching a gangsta Xenomorph pop out of suit-and-tie Beatty’s mouth. His face is stretched like a bad t-shirt pressing, questioning the logic of how a human being is even designed. How could a mouth get so big? Was it in the process of being ripped in half? The amount of fear I’ve had with that mouth is unsurpassed because the eyes look to be in pain like he’s about to fold into himself and enter negative space, or a black hole. I just can’t handle it.
Then there’s urban Beatty, who looks happy. Is he some version of Osmosis Jones (----), existing inside the other Beatty? He looks like a menace, maybe symbolizing the impact of tobacco on your lungs. Once you realize that it’s also a 60-year-old man, it becomes more unsettling, more confusing why these two perspectives are tearing away at each other. Did urban Beatty murder suit-and-tie Beatty? Maybe it’s like Men in Black (199-) where an inner being is going to rip off the outer skin to reveal themselves underneath.
Much like the film itself, I don’t know that this could be advertised for a political satire at any other point than in 1998. It was a time when MTV was more radical, using shows like the nihilistic Beavis and Butt-head to reflect the sarcastic, affectless nature of youth. Everything felt edgier, especially with the rise of rap-rock, and this sense that it was cool to break stuff. You had to rebel. Next year was Woodstock ’99, and you best believe a generation taught to love arson was going to tear it apart.
In that way, the Bulworth poster is amazing. Everything about it embodies the crudeness of that moment and the false belief that the youth was really that interested in watching Beatty do bad raps about politics. Maybe I’m thinking from a 2020 perspective, but that seems more like a way to make adults feel cultured, that they’re watching this subversion of an “other” instead of engaging with it directly. I’m sure adults of the time appreciated it, but I can’t imagine anyone thinking of it as fondly as Heaven Can Wait or Reds (hot take: Reds deserved to win Best Picture at the Oscars that year).
My life continues to feel like it exists in the shadow of that Bulworth poster because I don’t know that any other straight dramatic feature has made a marketing campaign so upsetting. They’re usually more milquetoast about their selections. They don’t make you feel horrified by their artwork, or falsely make you believe that the MTV generation was coming out in droves to see this. Sure, it had “Ghetto Superstar,” but all you needed was a boombox to blast that.
When looking through various websites that highlight the best movie posters of the 1990s, they often leave off Bulworth. While I understand that there’s plenty that has become more iconic, having a more lasting impact, I can’t imagine that there’s 50 that have the same punch as this one. They may be more pleasant to hang on your wall, but I need justice for having a few seconds of my youth change how I viewed the world from thereon.
I need to believe that people see it as both the best and worst poster of its time, recalling a moment when marketing was more provocative and didn’t do boring totem designs (I’m looking at you, Disney). I want to have artwork that pops with its own unique personality, even if it threatens to create something as confusing as Bulworth’s two Beatty’s. For whatever keeps it from being seen as a masterpiece, it at least stays with you, making you question the very mind of an auteur whose decision-making skills were on a noticeable decline after this. This isn’t a bad movie by any means. Barrack Obama has joked that he wanted to “go full Bulworth” at different points. It’s just that your brain will have to take some liberties with how it perceives reason for a bit after seeing it.
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