Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

Released Sep 26, 2008

1h 26m

Documentary

Biography

List

93%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A campaign adviser has a change of heart before his death.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Prime Video

Stream Now

Prime Video

Watch Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story with a subscription on Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

Boogie Man is a complex, absorbing study of the contradictory life and times of architect of modern smear politics.

Read Critics Reviews

Drew Toal

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

Director Stefan Forbes has assembled a brilliantly complex portrait that shines an unnerving light on the man who painted the landscape of contemporary American politics.

Nov 10, 2008

Full Review

Jessica Reaves

Chicago Tribune

By the end of Forbes' brisk, economical portrait, Atwater has been revealed as a repugnant and pathetic soul--and a political visionary, among the first to fully understand and harness the raw power of voters' fears.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 31, 2008

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Boogie Man provides an incisive and fascinating look at a man who sold his soul for victory.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 1, 2019

Full Review

Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

Boogie Man is an incredibly timely and relevant film that uncovers the origins of political dirty pool (Atwater was the architect of much of the attack-ad style currently being deployed in the 2008 American election).

Aug 22, 2017

Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson

L.A. Weekly

Fascinating to a political junkie like me who wasn't aware of the game back then.

Dec 30, 2008

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Was definitely looking for more juicy tid bits about this notorious scumbag but don't think the filmmakers dug deep enough.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

To some an evil genius, to some a complicated genius. This doc comes down more on the former, but does show through a great many interviews that he was a very complex man. I think perhaps too much credit (or blame, depending on your point of view) is given to Atwater, Rove, and so on. By ignoring how "real" issues also motivate voters docs play into the same cynicism they accuse those on the Right of dwelling on in their campaigns. The Left of course are a bunch of choirboys who get rolled with dirty tricks that have never, ever been seen in American politics, or so the narrative seems to go. Still, I enjoy presidential campaigns so much that I enjoy these docs in spite of their flaws.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wanabe leaders of the world learn, this is how you steal, lie, cheat, manipulate, push and pull yourself into the leadership of the most corrupt society in the world and get paid whilst doing said. The cockiness of these actions if followed meticulously could make you the leader of any insane society in the free world, of course that depends on if you can find one, left. Nibbles: Oreos and milk.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

one of the best documentaries i've seen, hands down.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The film comes in with an agenda, so it fails to present an objective portrait of the late Mr. Atwater. I get the sense, which watching this that it was made by people still bitter about the 1988 election results, and parts of this film have a slight tinge of bullshit. Still, it is a fascinating peek behind the curtain. It should be watched with a discerning eye so you can separate fact from conjecture presented by many of the interviewees (including Dukakis, undoubtedly upset about having never been president) in the film. There is no doubt that certain tactics employed by Atwater in the '88 election changed how elections would work for years to come. Not in a good way.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Boogie Man vividly portrays the anxious, ambitious political consultant who clawed his way to the top of, and transformed, Republican politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Atwater brought the national G. O. P. a sharper style of wedge issue politics rooted in white resentment, taken directly from Strom Thurmond's South Carolina. Atwater introduced Ronald Reagan to white Southerners in a town famous only for the murder of civil rights volunteers. Eight years later, Atwater helped pave George H.W. Bush's way to the White House with his racist Willie Horton ads. All the while, Atwater played blues guitar alongside legendary black musicians and mentored the next Republican svengali, Karl Rove. The film explores the questions, puzzles, and contradictions of Atwater's brief life through his own words and those of people who knew him without necessarily forcing an overall interpretation on the viewer. Fascinating viewing for anyone interested in politics, history, or human nature.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Stefan Forbes

Director

Roger Stone

Actor

Sam Donaldson

Actor

Ed Rollins

Actor

Robert Novak

Actor

Mary Matalin

Actor

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

57%

61%

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?

74%

85%

This Old Cub

88%

85%

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

83%

85%

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

97%

78%

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

A campaign adviser has a change of heart before his death.

Director: Stefan Forbes
Production Co: InterPositive Media
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 26, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.3K
Runtime: 1h 26m

Most Popular at Home Now