The satirical film Bamboozled revolves around the unexpected, meteoric success and tragic demise of a highly controversial modern day minstrel show conceptualized by network executive Pierre Delacroix/Peerless Dothan and his PA, Sloane Hopkins.
Pierre is a neurotic, highly educated African-American man in his late 30’s. He is member of the top management and creative team of the fictional network CNS. He works for Thomas Dunwitty, an ill mannered, inconsiderate, overbearing brute of a man. Dunwitty also thoughtlessly argues that he can use racial slurs with impunity because he’s married to an African-American woman and has sired children of blended ethnicity---allegedly making him “more black” than Pierre.
Pierre’s show concepts are constant attempts to cast African-American characters in a positive light, characters who are articulate and upwardly mobile. Thomas however dismisses repeatedly, saying that they’re not what will rake in the ratings. Miserable with his current setup Pierre goes the extreme opposite of his previous show concepts; instead of elevating African-American characters he decides to deride them instead by creating a contemporary minstrel show, complete with blackface, featuring African-American actors doing the skits. He then pitches the concept to the board, hoping that they’d be outraged and fired as a result. Instead of being lynched though the team, including Thomas, heartily embrace the bravado of the show stating that this is just what the network needs to boost it’s ratings: controversy. Thus, “Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show” is born.
The show is just that an hour long segment showcasing exceedingly offensive racist jokes and skits as well as CG cartoon characters drawn to resemble Little Sambo stereotypes. Manray and Womack, two down-on-their-luck street performers and tap-dancers, are employed to star in the show. Manray, the more ambitious of the two, takes the task on with gusto despite the show’s highly questionable content, seeing it as an opportunity to finally launch his career. Womack is aghast however when Sloane divulges what the show is about. Despite the duo's differing opinions they go on to execute their roles.
Mantan becomes a runaway hit and Manray and Womack become superstars overnight. The success of the show prompts Pierre Delacroix to completely turn his position regarding the show, endorsing it as a satire as he begins to enjoy the recognition he is given. Sloane however slowly grows disgusted with her involvement in the show.
It doesn’t take very long before Mantan earns the ire of a militant underground rap group calling themselves the Mau Maus, in honor of Mau Mau Rebellion. Julius, Sloane’s older brother, heads the group; ironically, the Mau Maus originally auditioned to be the Mantan Show’s live band but weren’t selected. The group seethes over the overtly racist content of the show and they plot to stop their broadcast using hostile means.
As the program gains a nearly cult followership Womack grows increasingly disturbed and repulsed, both by the content and his partner Manray’s growing arrogance. Pierre notices a growing attraction between Manray and Sloane, which he tries to disrupt. He eventually fires her and he then turns his vitriol towards Manray. A confrontation then ensues and he finally realizes that he is being manipulated for the studios’ purposes. He makes an insubordinate public pronouncement that he will no longer perform in blackface, making a last tap dancing performance wearing his regular clothing. The network executives promptly fire Manray for violating his contract.
Matters take a turn for the worse when a penitent Manray is kidnapped by the Mau Maus to be executed by firing squad, his death made a public spectacle via a live webcast. Sloane and the police zealously try to track down the Mau Maus hideout but they are unable to locate him in time. Manray is summarily executed while doing his celebrated tap dance routine. Stricken with guilt at the death of Manray, Pierre’s sanity begins to collapse. He dons blackface make-up out of respect for the fallen performer and begins to hallucinate, imagining that the various vintage blackface memorabilia are judging him, moving on their own to attack him. He ends up destroying many of these items, defending himself from phantasmal attackers. The authorities, on the other hand, finally manage to locate the Mau Maus and a vicious firefight ensues. They manage to kill all the members save for a lone white member calling himself “One-Sixteenth Blak.”
Enraged at the carnage and the loss of lives resulting from the Mantan fiasco Sloane opposes Pierre, holding him at gunpoint compelling him to watch a taped montage of the indignities that African-Americans have endured over the years. Pierre makes a sudden grab for the gun and ends up getting shot in the midsection. Sloane escapes; declaring that all this, including his death, is his own doing.
A dying Pierre remorsefully watches the contents of the tape, deciding to shield the guilty Sloane from culpability by holding the gun to make his injuries appear to be the result of a suicide. The film ends with a lengthy pastiche film clip of truly dehumanizing depictions of African-American characters in Hollywood from the start of the 20th century ending with Manray’s assassination footage.
