Writer/director Emilio Estevez delivers a powerful ensemble picture with Bobby – a film that tells the story of the final day of Robert F. Kennedy through the eyes of the people surrounding him on the night that he would be assassinated.
The project (which was a seven year labor of love for Estevez) features solid performances from some of Hollywood’s veterans and new faces. The cast includes (to name a few) Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Harry Belafonte, Nick Cannon, Estevez, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Christian Slater, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf, Lindsay Lohan, Brian Geraghty and William H. Macy. The film achieved a “dated” and somewhat independent feel thanks to the camera work of cinematographer Michael Barrett (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang).
Although the film is not a straightforward “bio” flick about the last 24 hours of Kennedy’s life, it manages tell the story of the times and issues surrounding the candidate so that the audience is able to feel how devastating his lost was to so many. Estevez uses his characters to reflect the time of Kennedy - including racial and economical differences, the Vietnam War, and the drug counterculture.
The movie is chaotic at times, and it takes some time to get used to the multiple stories floating through its ensemble cast. However, Bobby does comes together nicely at the end. The different story threads pay off before the final credits roll, and help the audience feel the emotional impact of Kennedy’s death through the eyes of those in the room when Sirhan Sirhan shot him.
Hopkins and Belafonte deliver a bit of old school Hollywood through their performances as retired hotel employees. Both found fulfillment in their duties at the hotel, but now spend their days sharing stories and playing chess in the hotel lobby. Although Belafonte seems happy with retirement, Hopkins’ character seems to have lost his place in life. The two characters seem out of time with the new culture. Hopkins has some very good moments with Estevez’s character Tim – the husband of lounge singer Virginia Fallon (Moore). Although Tim was once a musician, he has become part of Fallon’s management and reduced to taking care of the dog and keeping her drink full.
Macy plays the hotel manager and seems to be the ideal supporter of Kennedy. He believes in giving his employees time off to go and vote, and is supportive of the minorities that are working for the hotel (even the ones that are in the country illegally). This sets him apart from Slater – who plays more of a bigoted character. Macy’s character loses some of his appeal as it is revealed that he is having an affair with a hotel switchboard operator (played by Graham). Stone plays Macy’s wife who works in the hotel’s salon and discovers the affair before Kennedy arrives.
Her character has interaction with Lindsey Lohan’s Diane (a young girl that is marrying her high school friend William (Wood) to hopefully keep him from going to Vietnam) and Moore’s Virginia Fallon (arguably the most pathetic character of the film thanks to her drunken outburst).
The Diane and William characters do a good job of reflecting the issues around the Vietnam War, and how desperate the two characters were to help William avoid being sent there. They are not a true “couple” at the start of the film, and the marriage to Diane is more about a form of protest and a way to help a friend. A romance does develop by the ending – which again helps add emotion to Kennedy’s assassination when William is struck by a stray bullet.
Jackson and Cannon demonstrate the true believers of the film. They are the ones handling Kennedy’s campaign in California. They illustrate the belief of Kennedy’s supporters that he was the hope for the future of the country and the changes that they believed he could bring once in the White House.
Estevez tackles the racial tensions of the time through the Fishburne and Freddy Rodríguez characters who work in the Hotel’s kitchen. I enjoyed their scenes the most, and felt they delivered some of the film’s finest performances.
LaBeouf, Geraghty, and Kutcher explore the drugs of the decade, but personally I thought this part of the film was distracting. Yes, the drug culture was a big part of the time, but it isn’t needed in the film. Instead of being interested in this story like I was in other plotlines, I found myself waiting for their scenes to quickly end. If the film has a weakness, it is in this portion of the story (at least in my opinion).
While I liked Bobby, I think the film’s multiple storylines might distract some viewers who were hoping for a film that focuses on Kennedy – who is only seen in news archive footage. Instead, Estevez chooses to create a film about the times and themes of Kennedy. I wasn’t expecting the multiple storylines, but was able to get interested in the various characters by the time the film comes together at the end.
The DVD is a little light on special features, but they are interesting. Bobby: The Making of an American Epic is about eight minutes, and is a fairly standard look at making a movie. It includes interviews with Estevez and his ensemble cast – which all discuss how they felt the film and the subject were important. The really interesting feature is the 29-minute panel discussion of eyewitness accounts from people who were at the Ambassador Hotel the night Kennedy was shot. This provides a deeper look at the night, and is worth taking the time to watch – even if you didn’t really enjoy the film.
Although it doesn’t clearly focus on Kennedy, Bobby is an interesting look at the times and issues that surrounded his death. Estevez has a handle on the multiple storylines, and the film benefits from its ensemble cast of Hollywood heavyweights. I found parts of the film lacking, but would still highly recommend taking the time to watch it.
Bobby is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a June 4th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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