Tim Robbins
Actor: The Shawshank Redemption, The Hudsucker Proxy, Short Cuts, The Player, Mystic River...
Tim Robins wrote and directed for plays in his early carrier. Bob Roberts is his first movie as director. Second: "Dead Man Walking".
Robert Altman
Tim Robbins was "The Player" (satyr about Hollywood) 1 year before, and he'll play again for Altman in "Short Cuts" one year later.
The film also borrows some ideas from Nashville, a 1975 classic by Robert Altman.
Altman reviewed the script and followed the making with notes and encouragement. Tim Robbins mentions "[Altman's] influence was fundamental to the success of the film" and "working with Altman was better than going to film school".
Tim Robbins chose Altman's favorite DOP: Jean Lepine.
Origins
Tim Robbins made a short for "Saturday Night Live" about Bob Roberts in 1986, a satyr comedy character about a yuppie businessman & folk singer.
Tim Robbins said: "it was a satire on the gentrification of my neighborhood. As time progressed, as I started to write the screenplay, Bob’s ion grew. The businessman became a politician."
It took 5 years for Bob Roberts to find finances.
Cast
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal (playing the role of the ongoing senator) was a well known writer, public essayist, political commentator.
Improvised a long pseudo interview, giving a pretty good analysis of politics, media, power...
Mockumentaries
First
Luis Bunuel "Land Without Bread" (1933)?
Before
Citizen Kane (1941), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Zelig and Take the Money and Run (Woody Allen, 1976 and 1983), This is Spinal Tap (1982)...
Later on
Borat, Man Bites Dog (C'est arrivé près de chez vous, 1992)...
References to Bob Dylan
The main character recycles codes of rebels in pop culture against their original intention: Bob Roberts is a "conservative rebel".
One of the most disturbing aspect of the film?
Music
By Tim's brother, David. Lyrics are from Tim. Their father was folk singer.
Later on the 2 formed a punk rock band ("Gob Robins") and played some of the songs featured in the film.
Reception and later
Commercial flop (bad timing? Just before elections), gained exposure and recognition later
In an interview 25 years later:
** Am I correct in saying you never released a soundtrack of Bob’s songs?**
[Laughs] That’s correct.
** Sadly, I think some of them would actually sell pretty well in a few regions in this country.**
I don’t want that money.
And finally:
** There’s no need for a sequel, because the reality has eclipsed the parody at this point, but where would you guess Bob Roberts would be in 2017?**
He’d be in the White House.
Ref: interview in https://ew.com/movies/2017/09/02/tim-robbins-bob-roberts-donald-trump/