Bamboozled

Beginning as a stinging, double-edged satire of stereotype exploitation, Spike Lee's racially charged Bamboozled slowly transforms into a heavy-handed horsewhipping as it loses its sense of humor. Intelligent, persuasive, scathing and provocative, the picture delivers a pasting to upstart TV networks that run clownish urban sitcoms, with Damon Wayans here as an embattled comedy writer (and ostentatious Harvard "oreo") who creates the most racist, offensive show he can imagine to mock his ghetto-wannabe boss (Michael Rapaport): a modern minstrel show complete with actors in blackface, playing "real coons" who live in a watermelon patch. Unfortunately, to his shock and dismay, the show becomes a hit. Lee offers up a sharply observant and ultimately effective piece of shock therapy, asking just how far degradation must go before it's recognized as socially detrimental (but once he climbs on his soapbox, the smart satire takes a backseat to the blatant preaching). Although Wayans' performance is often obnoxious, co-stars Tommy Davidson, Savion Glover and Jada Pinkett-Smith fare better. A strong, optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)