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Bogus Man

Karl Rove is a very important person in today's politics. Depending upon your political leanings, you either think he is a genius or an evil genius. No one disputes his talents at moving an electorate towards where he wants them. The only point of contention is whether or not his moves are helping or hurting the American public. It is no accident that Rove is as effective as he is because he learned his craft under the tutelage of Lee Atwater, a man that revolutionized the way the game of American politics is played. Smearing the opposition is as old as the hills but  Atwater took it to a whole new level.

"Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story" is a documentary dedicated to explaining how Atwater got to such an important place and what he did when he did get there. It succeeds on the latter but fails on the former. It's never made quite clear why Atwater chose his particular path, only that he did. The film plays out like an old style documentary, consisting of public footage with a few dabs of interviews of people today remembering Atwater. It's effective, if uninspiring.

The story spends a lot of time on the fact that Atwater was into playing the blues on guitar and that he was very popular among black musicians because of it. One of the musicians interviewed comments that he didn't know much about Atwater's politics but he felt a musical bond with him. That blacks in America usually voted against Atwater candidates is supposed to impress us as a contrast. That is about as heavy as it gets here.

The final chapter of Atwater's life, and the film, is his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer and the slow deterioration that follows. Atwater becomes a "changed man" hell-bent on rehabilitating himself, but like everything else about him it was just another calculated charade. If you know nothing about Lee Atwater, this movie will be a good, concise view of the man. If you know about him already, you may learn a few things, but in either case you will not be wowed by this documentary.