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Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts (1992)

  • 100% of critics liked it
    (36 reviews)

  • 71% of users liked it
    (7,048 ratings)

In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, producer/ director/ star Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts is a satire disguised as a documentary. Robbins plays the titular Roberts, a wealthy, well-connected young man running for a senatorial seat in Pennsylvania. On the surface, Roberts is an ingratiating… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
Tim Robbins
Genres
Comedy
In Theaters
Sep 1, 1992 Wide
Paramount

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    A sometimes brilliant if overloaded pseudodocumentary satire.

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    A sort of political This Is Spinal Tap, Bob Roberts is both a stimulating social satire and, for thinking people, a depressing commentary on the devolution of the American political system.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Bob Roberts is not merely a satirical fictional biopic, but a wry exploration of the relationship between political reality and manufactured image.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    A very funny, sometimes prescient satire of American politics, and of the comparatively small, voting portion of the electorate that makes a Bob Roberts phenomenon possible.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    Tim Robbins inaugurates the fall season with a slashingly funny political satire that ranks with the year's best films.

Read all 12 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • AJ V


    I hate these boring political dramas that try to be slightly satirical, as if that's going to entertain people. Politics is so boring, and this movie doesn't do anything (except maybe adding Rickman as eye candy) to make the audience interested in it. It's not one of… More

  • Jeffrey M


    Bob Roberts is a hilarious political satire mockumentary, relating the events of a fictional senatorial campaign. Despite coming out in 1992, many of the issues it brings up are surprisingly timely (occurring in the midst of the Gulf War), it has a lot of interesting (if not… More

  • John B


    Still one of the finest political movies to come out of the U.S. Considering that Robbins has produced some stinkers since then, perhaps he ought to have stopped with the genre at this film.

  • Marcus W


    Decent American political satire which sadly lacks teeth.

  • Christopher B


    Great songs and a funny and disturbing story. Robbins best attempt at directing, some may complain that it is too politically motivated, but I don't think Robbins was trying to conceal that fact. Some people just complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.

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Cast

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