In this week’s issue of the Reader, Leah Pickett wrote at length on Long Shot, a new romantic comedy set in the world of American politics. The film certainly reflects a healthy tradition, as filmmakers have mined U.S. politics for comedy for generations. Below are five capsule reviews from the Reader archives of comedies that take place in political milieux. All are by American filmmakers, save for In the Loop, whose director, Armando Iannucci, is British; and save for Duck Soup (my vote for the funniest political comedy in movie history), all take place in American settings. Is the American political landscape a riper zone for comedy than those of other countries? Or am I less familiar with foreign political comedies because comedy and political nuance are some of the most difficult things to translate from one culture to another? In any case, enjoy these reviews of superior political comedies of the last 86 years that share a certain irreverence and cynicism.
Bulworth Throwing caution to the wind, producer-director-cowriter-star Warren Beatty sounds off about politics, delivering his funniest and liveliest film to date (1998). Beatty plays a senator up for reelection who suffers a nervous breakdown, takes out a contract on himself, and with nothing to lose finds himself blurting out what he actually believes—mostly in the style of street rap. He addresses the lies of the government in general and the Democratic Party in particular, especially regarding Black people, and once he starts hanging out with the daughter of Black Panthers (Halle Berry), whether the two of them will have sex becomes more of an issue than whether he’ll get reelected. This lacks the craft of Preston Sturges or Frank Capra, but it offers a personal statement that may be just as important, and some of it equals Richard Pryor’s concert films in farcical candor and reckless energy. Coscripted by Jeremy Pikser; with Oliver Platt, Jack Warden, Paul Sorvino, Don Cheadle, Amiri Baraka, and lots of enjoyable cameos. —Jonathan Rosenbaum
