Bobby

A disapointing film, but a moving love letter...

by dane youssef Emilio Esztevez's "Bobby" celebrates not only one of the greatest political icons to die before his time, before he had the opportunity to live up to even a fraction of his potential, but a seven-year effort to get it on the big screen. Esztevez is not as renown in the business as his father and brother are. Nor does he have such a sparkling track-record. Let's be honest. Most of the man's movies (paticularly those made after "The Mighty Ducks") borderline on unwatchable. But hey, what about "Rated X"? I heard good things. Somewhere. I don't remember where exactly... But just because a man has a few "Battlefield Earth" and "Catwoman"-like stinkers on his resume doesn't mean he's totally incapable of putting out anything at all decent. I know we love to skewer a star when they're down. But let's give a poor guy an even shake... Because of Estevez's experience in the biz, as well as his family's, "Bobby" is chock-full of big-name walk-ons. Yes, it's good to be able to employ the best and biggest names in the business, but I don't know if it nessicarily works here. There are so many familiar faces that pop up like a Jack-In-The-Box and then disapear just as quickly, that it's kind of distracting. They're all not on camera long enough so that we see the characters, not actors playing a role. We keep getting the feeling that all we're looking at is super-star after supers-star just here to do some temp work, have fun, do a favor and pay respect to a great political icon. There are so many storylines buzzing in and out in such a condensed amount of time that so many of them feel under-developed (and even pointless at times). There are some really intriguing ones, yes, but there's also too much that just feels like filler. They're not around longe enough to make us really think or care about them. There is no accomplished actor in the plum role of Robert Kennedy (a wise desicion on Esztevez' part)--Kennedy appears as himself in archive footage newsreels and voice-overs. There is an enourmously talented and renown cast for "Bobby," but no real head-liner. This is an ensemble vehicle, in the tradition of the late Robert Altman's films. Like every ensemble vehicle, the star is the subject matter--RFK himself. The lives he touched, the inpact he made, many of the goings-on during the time... that appears here. But too briefly. Like an extra that just blends into a massive crowd or a beige wall. Where are they? You want them to stand out, you want more. As for it's much-touted heavy-hitter cast: Joshua Jackson (who worked with Esztevez in "The Mighty Ducks" films) isn't really given much of anything to do as as Kennedy's campaign manager. Christian Slater is one of the best working actors out there today, but any schmuck standing in line at "Hot Dog On A Stick" could have done as good a job as he's allowed to do there. Hey, maybe some of that trademark reptillian-like demeanor of his might have helped. He's a racist, but he's as interesting as plain white-bread. Heather Graham is equally ineffective (has she ever given a really great perfomance?) Ashton Kutcher thankfully sheds his tired "Kelso" scthick as a spiritual drug dealer who introduces to LSD. He wears glasses, has long mop-like hair and a scruffy beard. This is good. We're looking at the character, not Kutcher. Lately, Kutcher has been trying to evolve past the dim-witted prett-boy roles in stupid throw-away rom-comedies. He seems to be in very serious danger of becoming just another flavor-of-the-month like so, so many, many other before him (and after him). With roles in movies like "The Butterfly Effect" and now "Bobby," there may be hope for him after all. William H. Macy and Starone Stone are some of the best out there. Here they play a married couple who have a rather ugly secret, but

A reviewer

A film for our times, for those times, and maybe all times, as human history is riddled with inefficient leadership. In a unusual biopic that really isn't a biopic, more of a star-studded hotel film with documentary footage, features twenty-two very different people but similar tensions as America was becoming unhinged. Intermittently, we never met Robert Kennedy in the film, but are introduced to the expectations of a more innocent and urgent age as young and old, rich and poor, Mexican, Anglo, and black, male and female rally around the most promising leader after King was killed. Unfortunately, for them (and us), the times and the seething mood were not ready for a second Kennedy coronation. I thought one item of this movie was interesting: everyone of them is desperate and they see Kennedy as a vulnerable one to pin their desperate hopes on until the fatal result.

Stories of racism, infidelity, aging, the effects of the Vietnam War, drugs: Why RFK's death was so impactful

BOBBY as written and directed (and starring) Emilio Estevez is not simply a recreation of the fateful night June 6, 1968 when Bobby Kennedy was shot, though that event is meticulously dissected as the sun dawns on Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel on that day. This film is a series of vignettes of the lives of many people (22 examples shine) whose hope for a better future than that of a country undergoing disintegration on many levels were shattered. It is about 'little people', people with choices whose responses to the death of a hero is devastating. Racism (Christian Slater vs Laurence Fishburne vs interaction with Freddy Rodríguez and Jacob Vargas) hippie/white collar drug abuse (Ashton Kutcher dealing LSD to Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf, Demi Moore's alcoholism defeating her marriage to Emilio Estevez and career as a lounge singer) aging and the problems of 'useless old people' (Harry Belafonte and Anthony Hopkins) adultery (hotel manager William Macy married to beautician Sharon Stone yet having an affair with switchboard operator Heather Graham) marriages teetering on commercialism (Martin Sheen and Helen Hunt) young political aspirants basing futures on RFK (Joshua Jackson and Nick Cannon) and the extremes to which young men will go to avoid being sent to Vietnam (Elijah Wood and Lindsay Lohan) - these are the main characters we get to know as they prepare for the evening's party for RFK and then suffer the explosive effect of the shooting by Sirhan Sirhan (David Kobzantsev). The power of the film lies in the impact Bobby Kennedy had on all of these people who represent the rest of a nation. Estevez wisely uses film footage from life to project the speech and presence of RFK: using an actor to depict him would have made the effect less sharp. But in the end, as it seems apparent from Estevez' script, the power comes from the messages in the voice-over of Kennedy's own speeches, words to offer hope and a chance for resolution of the many conflicts that threatened to destroy the US. Would that there were minds with such thoughts speaking today when a leader is so desperately needed! The film has flaws (it would be difficult for a two hour enactment of a well known yet partially fictionalized incident not to). But the message is pungent and clear: we MUST care for each other as a country and forgo the alienation that is so rampant. A very fine film for thought. Grady Harp

Excellent film with a great cast & outstanding acting

This film did an excellent job of immersing the viewer into that era of time. Actually seeing the footage of Bobby Kennedy intertwined into the story and hearing his speeches was a powerful tool for the overall theme of the movie. It makes one realize what a loss it was when Bobby was assassinated. The subplots within this movie were done wonderfully and the cast successfully became a part of this film in the 60's era. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Fine acting done by all.

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No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.