Robert “Bob” Roberts knows what America needs. The cynical businessman and folk singer wraps his protest songs in ultraconservative catchphrases and immediately wins over the crowds hankering after simple assurances. Because “Bob” spelled backwards is still “Bob.” In the 1990s American actor Tim Robbins stepped up to the director’s chair, subsequently turning out several outstanding films. This mockumentary about the rise of an American senator is a sophisticated political satire and also illustrates Robbins’s versatility: he penned the screenplay for the picture, he directed it, appeared in the lead role, and co-wrote the songs, which he performs in the film. Robbins also secured the collaboration of several star colleagues for cameo appearances in this, his helming debut.