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Bobby [2006]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Reviews

In the final quarter or so of Bobby, writer-director-actor Emilio Estevez finally starts tightening his grip on the viewer as we head inexorably toward the film's climax: the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen. In the course of these scenes--among them Kennedy's acceptance speech after winning the California Democratic presidential primary (the senator is seen only in file footage), his death at the hands of gunman Sirhan Sirhan, and the chaos and despair that ensued--Estevez steadily ratchets up the sense of tension and dread. Knowing exactly what's coming, while the characters onscreen don't, is excruciating, as is our grief at hearing RFK's own words, so eloquent, so hopeful and inspiring, as we watch the horrible events unfold and wonder what might have been (sure it's manipulative--but it works). But the rest of Bobby isn't nearly as compelling. Nor is it really about Kennedy, despite its obvious adulation of the man whom many thought would defeat Richard Nixon in the '68 general election. In the tradition of, say, an Irwin Allen disaster flick, we're invited into the lives of nearly two dozen folks, most of them at least partly fictional, who were at the Ambassador Hotel that June day, including guests, staff (kitchen workers, switchboard operators, management, etc.), campaign workers, reporters, and more.

There are lots of movie stars in the cast, and some of them (Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy) are very good. But caring about the quotidian minutiae of these people's existences is a chore, and Estevez crams so many issues into his story (the Vietnam war, drugs, alcoholism, voting irregularities, adultery, racism, immigration, communism... even L.A. Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale's streak of consecutive shutouts) and tries so obviously to establish parallels between then and now that too much of the movie feels gratuitous and forced. A warts-and-all film about Robert Kennedy's extraordinary life and career would be welcome. Unfortunately Bobby isn't it. --Sam Graham


The greatest blow to a progressive America
Review date: 2008-10-05 Rating: 6 out of 10

After watching Bobby for knocking on an hour you could be forgiven for thinking you are watching a soap opera -a classy extremely well cast soap opera mind- but a soap opera none the less. So far we have been introduced into the lives of several characters in and around the Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles interspersed with clips of Robert Kennedy giving speeches , interviews etc. If you are unaware of the background to the assassination of Robert Kennedy you will probably be scratching your head wondering where all this is going . It becomes much clearer by the film ending ( nice to know it was going somewhere) but many will have lost interest by then.
Which is a pity as the final twenty minutes where all the character threads tie together is quite riveting and as a stirring speech by the would be president is played out ( since when were you stirred by a politicians speech?) quite moving .
Written and directed by Emilio Estevez ( yes I was surprised by this as well ) Bobby is a flawed but heartfelt and well meant piece of film -making . If anything it tries too hard to tackle too many issues but it's central point , or what I took to be it's central point that RFK,s death was a greater blow to a progressive American than the death of JFK is vigorously made. Estevez carefully chooses the footage of Bobby Kennedy so it draws pertinent correlations between 1968 and contemporary America. Unpopular war, great desire for social change, a fairer more egalitarian society .In one short clip we even see him talking to schoolchildren about how important it is to protect the environment.
Estevez has assembled a impressive cast for this film-Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Heather Graham, Helen Hunt, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LeBeouf , William H. Macy, Christian Slater, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Joshua Jackson, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood, and Demi Moore not to mention his dad Martin Sheen- and consequently the performances are mostly very good .I failed to see the point of their characters connection to Bobby thematically though ,Unless Estevez was making some ideological point about everyman ( or woman) but they seem to be just people who happen to be in the same hotel at the same time . It's a geographic connection only ( with the exception of some characters connected to the Democratic party - Nick Cannon as party worker Dwayne is the most striking ) and even though some of these end up in the firing line when the bullets are let loose it still seems odd that we have spent more time getting to know them than the films central character.
The film also dodges resolutely any conspiracy theories revolving around the shooting of Booby Kennedy - it sticks to the widely accepted account of that evening -although that account has now been called into question -the fact that Sirhan could have carried out the shooting has been proved to be a falsehood. Estevez though was clearly focused on making other points about the death of this man. He succeeds I feel but goes about it an obtuse ,stagey and prosaic manner. It was obviously a tragedy for Kennedy and his family but maybe the greatest tragedy was America's and by proxy the worlds.




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Reviews


The Worst Film, Based on an Historical incident that I have ever seen
Review date: 2008-09-26 Rating: 2 out of 10

I had been expecting an exciting, well-written plot and script, with dark characters who had good development. In actuality the film had poor character development, they were rather wet and uninteresting. The adulterous Hotelier didn't even come across as callous; the potentiality for even the slightest possibility for his dark scandalette was neglected. The deviation from the plot to those who had no relevance to the story made the time go by as slowly as possible, the salon scenes especially so. If you want to do a day of lead-up to an historical event, you ought to make it dark and scandalous, possibly in the style of a noir; the audience could empathise with the victim, who had been the only righteous character, among the myriad of corrupt ones.

Stunning cast, good film
Review date: 2008-07-15 Rating: 8 out of 10

This film tells the story of Bobby Kennedy, brother of assassinated President JFK, as he bid to become President himself. Bobby Kennedy was on the verge of winning the Democrat party nomination for president, until he was murdered, just moments after celebrating a critically strategic victory in California. This film centres around the hotel where Kennedy was murdered, following the lives of campaign staff, hotel staff and hotel customers in the days leading up to Bobby Kennedy's assassination.

To say there is an all star cast is an understatement, and rarely before has such a stunning collection of elite Hollywood actors appeared in the same movie. Needless to say, they do not disappoint. Anthony Hopkins is the distinguished hotel greeter, who recalls all of the famous people he has greeted. Sharon Stone is the ageing and beleaguered wife of the hotel manager, who is sleeping with dizzy blonde receptionist Heather Graham, who uses this position to get special favours and longer lunch breaks. Most of the actors are either Kennedy campaign staff who use the hotel as a base, or hotel staff, who try to get on with the job and their lives amidst this added pressure.

The film does not have any major weaknesses, but has a rather abrupt ending (although given the subject matter, this is maybe not a surprise). Another problem with the film is it flicks back and forth between hotel staff action and campaign staff action, which some viewers may find breaks their concentration.

All in all, the film is strongly recommended, although it is no match for Oliver Stone's movie JFK. The contrast being 'Bobby' tells the story leading up to the death, whilst JFK tells the story of the conspiracy theory after the death. It would be interesting to watch one film as a companion to the other.

A film both about RFK and not about RFK
Review date: 2008-03-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a highly interesting film, one which combines the multi strand narrative technique recently seen in Magnolia ans Crash and places it in and around the events leading up to the assassination of Robert Kennedy. The only time we see the eponymous Bobby Kennedy is in newsreel footage of his presidential campaign. The film is about the events leading up to his death but it also more about other people, the key players such as his campaign managers and those with minor roles such as the kitchen staff at the Ambassador Hotel. Most of the events are seen through the eyes of these characters, all played with remarkable skill by an array of fine actors including Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins, Estevez himself and Laurence Fishburne.

The film is flawed, its flow is a little clunky at times but the power is there and the tension leading up to the assassination is very real and shows the promise and skill of the novice director Estevez.

Emotional History
Review date: 2008-02-04 Rating: 4 out of 10

Difficult to evaluate or criticise this film rationally. Responses to it will be dependent on the individuals response to the basic proposition, ie that Bobby Kennedy was a virtual saint who would have brought peace with honour to Vietnam, ended racial strife, and more or less brought about the millenium, had he lived. The reverence for Kennedy's utterances is on a par with the treatment of Christ in an earlier generation of Hollywood Blockbusters. Still, the 'pro' lobby seems to be in the ascendent, so heres my twopence worth.

On one level this is an 'Airport '77' type All Star Soap/Disaster Movie, moving inexorably to its undeniably affecting climax. On another, it is a non critical political canonisation by Hollywood liberals of their hero. The story itself is a spectacular day in the life of various disparate individuals, a 'Hollywoods eye-view' physically attractive cross section of '60s California, with various nods to the present. Hardworking decent illegal immigrants; decent, flawed, liberal, anti-racist husband/adulterers; theres even a racist kitchen manager who puts his head above the parapet and gets sacked. If I'd watched this when I was 17 I would have been deeply moved by it. But I'm not 17, I dont like being preached at, I dont like stereotypical cliches, and I've got enough sense to know that eulogising politicians whose ideals were never tested by the reality of governing a superpower, or of dealing with a regime like that of (then) North Vietnam, is a facile exercise in hero worship.

Bobby Kennedy had iron in his soul. His life and potential deserves a better thought out study than this.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Lindsay Lohan
William H. Macy
Laurence Fishburne
Sharon Stone
Anthony Hopkins

Creators:
Laurence Fishburne (Primary Contributor)
William H. Macy (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Momentum Pictures Home Ent
Manufacturer: Momentum Pictures Home Ent
EAN: 5060116721867
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-06-04
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 112 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)

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