Director Watch Ep. 135 – ‘Bulworth’ (Warren Beatty, 1998)

Ryan McQuade January 16, 2026

On episode 135 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the next film in their Warren Beatty series, Bulworth (1998).

Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.

The year was 1998, and politics were on the mind, as in the same year as his old friend Elaine May was working with Mike Nichols on Primary Colors, Beatty was making his own political commentary; one that was sure to be one of the more controversial films within the director’s filmography. As Beatty grew tired and frustrated by the Democratic party, and feeling they had turned their back on their values and the people who voted for them, he made Bulworth, a satire about a politician that orders a hit on himself and as he is chasing his own death, he starts to unleash, telling the world what is really going on in Washington D.C., all the while being embraced by the black community, and rapping his message out. Sound crazy enough for you? Well that is just a fraction of what is going on in a film that thinks very highly of itself. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, if it has aged well, if it was an effective satire for the time, how Beatty can’t help but get the girl in the end, why everyone was trying to make the great satire of the time, why many fail, and why Bamboozle did what this movie is trying to do, but better.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more.

This podcast runs 1h58m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Warren Beatty with a review of his last film, Rules Don’t Apply. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

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Ryan McQuade

Ryan McQuade is the AwardsWatch Executive Editor and a film-obsessed writer in San Antonio, Texas. Raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects. Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast. He also is co-host of the Director Watch podcast. When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. You can follow him on Twitter at @ryanmcquade77.