Who the Hell Is Bobby Roos? (2002) Reviews

• Amazing performance

  PlanecrazyIkarus2004-11-30

  "Who the hell is Bobby Roos" is the story of a celebrity impersonator. If you're not sure what that is - imagine a guy who can convincingly pretend he's Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams, Peter Falk, Roberto Benigni and dozens of other famous people & characters from movies. Ultimately, it's a story about identity. The story begins with a show gone wrong, continues through the struggles to get another chance, a love affair, and other events. This is not an expensive production. Occasionally, the boom mike becomes clearly visible, and the entire film is shot on digital camera. Despite the lack of money, the film manages to be stunning, mostly thanks to the incredible performance by its star. You might have seen a hilarious trailer online, showing Osama bin Laden auditioning various actors to play him in his autobiographical film. The amazing thing is that this one man can so convincingly impersonate every single one of them. Once you get past the gimmick, the movie still manages to be interesting. It is not a farcical comedy, and its unscripted nature (apparently, while the plot was laid out before production, all individual scenes are improvised by the actors) means it is more dramatic than comedic. Don't let the trailer mislead you into thinking you're buying a comedy, but don't let that put you off either. As a drama, the film has a coherent plot, some very touching moments, and incredible performances by its actors. Most of all, it has believable characters, perhaps at the cost of typical dramatic dialogue. Ultimately, the film proves that it is perfectly possible to tell a good story without a budget - provided you have world-class creative minds working on the project.

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• Ten stars to Kabler's fantastic performance!

  Renaldo Matlin2007-09-15

  This is a true gem of a film. A *very* low budget comedy/drama with real life comedian Roger Kabler portraying a character much like himself, a somewhat successful stand-up comedian and impersonator who came close to the big breakthrough but just barely fell short (he was on Leno, Arsenio etc back in the day). When you're aware of this fact, Kabler's performance becomes even more poignant and touching, and when watching his talent unfold in this one-man-show of a movie, it really seems extremely unfair he hasn't found the same success like so many lesser talented colleagues. In all seriousness, Kabler's performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination. The story is gripping all the way, but again mainly thanks to Kabler's hypnotic performance that quickly absorbs the viewer. The only downsides are John Feldman's direction, which could have been better, the same goes for the editing. This isn't enough to ruin the experience though, far from it, because again: at the center stands Roger Kabler as Bobby Roos, delivering one of the finest acting performances I have seen in a long time. I can only begin to imagine what a breakthrough he would have gotten if the film had greater production value, which would have helped give this a serious run in theaters. At times funny, at times sad, it offers some truly great scenes. One of my favorites is the one where his De Niro-worshipping girlfriend wakes up in bed, only to find Bobby right next to her revealing for the first time an impersonation she has never seen before. What follows is laugh-out-loud funny but at the same time gut-wrenching. Highly recommended if you're a fan of comic impersonators or some of the actors Kabler mimics in this film (especially Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Richard Dreyfuss and Peter Falk). Also a must if you want to experience something you don't see very often: a low budget film carried by a first-rate acting performance.

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• Movie synopsis, basic plot of the film....

  shainy82004-08-26

  This movie is an absolutely tantalizing and morbid look at a celebrity impressionist who cannot distinguish between himself and his alter-celebrity impressions. This is an extreme psychological dive into the pressures of becoming famous while retaining your sanity. The main character, Bobby Roos, is an incredible actor who does unbelievable impressions of Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Roberto Benigni, and Marlon Brando. When he meets Emily at a grocery store, he seemingly finds love amid his severe vicarious personalities. Although their relationship is promising, he cannot break away from his famous counterpart impressions. This is an absolute must see for anyone who is a fan of De Niro, Williams and the pressures of becoming famous!

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