Bobby (Widescreen Edtion)
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Movie Reviews of Bobby (Widescreen Edtion)
Movie Review: Another Dark Day in 1968
Summary: 5 Stars
The year of 1968 will forever be remembered in American history as one of the darkest on record. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, the Vietnam War was escalating, drug abuse was on a rampage, and, as told in this excellent film by Emilio Estevez, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.
The film centers on one day; June 4, 1968, the day of the California Presidential Primary. The site of the film is the Ambassador Hotel. Bobby Kennedy, who said he would drop out of the race if he lost the primary, was scheduled to appear at the hotel later that evening. During the course of the day, several events involving several different people unfold as the anticipated time of Kennedy's arrival draws near.
Paul (William H. Macy), the hotel manager is married to Miriam (Sharon Stone), the hotel hairstylist, but he's having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), a hotel switchboard operator. Paul also fires Timmons (Christian Slater), the kitchen manager, because of his refusal to give his Hispanic and Black employees time off to vote. Jose, a bus boy, has found out that he has to work a double shift in the kitchen, so he'll be unable to attend the Dodgers game which he bought tickets for. Since he can't attend, he gives the tickets to head chef Edward Robinson (Laurence Fishburne).
David (Elijah Wood) and Diane (Lindsay Lohan) are scheduled to be married at the hotel. Diane has agreed to marry William so he won't have to go to Vietnam. She will get $135 per month until William is safely serving in Germany. After that, the marriage can be annulled. But, as the movie goes on, Diane genuinely falls in love with William. John Casey (Anthony Hopkins) and Nelson (Harry Belafonte) are two older gentlemen who enjoy spending their days playng chess at the hotel. John, a former hotel doorman, has claimed to have seen many prominent people at the hotel, including JFK, Truman, and FDR. Virginia Fallon (Demi Moore) and her husband Tim Fallon (Emilio Estevez) are staying at the hotel. Virginia is a lounge singer who is battling alcoholism. June 4 is to be her last night of performing at the Ambassador, and she's supposed to introduce Robert F. Kennedy. Dwayne (Nick Cannon) is an assistant working on the Kennedy campaign.
As the day unfolds, these lives will forever be changed as Robert Kennedy makes his appearance at the hotel. Another uninvited guest arrived at the hotel immediately before Kennedy. His name: Sirhan Sirhan (David Kobyantsev) That evening, as the guests are gathered in the main hotel ballroom, Kennedy is whisked away through the kitchen after giving his California victory speech, but, hiding among the well-wishers is Sirhan, who fired several shots at Kennedy. Several in the crowd were struck, including William and Timmons, but Kennedy was mortally wounded. He died at Good Samaritan hospital on June 6, 1968.
Director Emilio Estevez has done a magnificent job in describing the events which took place at the Ambassador hotel. The all-star cast of actors assembled by Estevez did excellent jobs in their roles, and the viewer can almost feel the tension build as Sirhan Sirhan walked through the front door.
I give this movie my highest recommendation. I'm a big fan of historical movies, and this movie is one of the best I've seen in quite a while. This movie captures the essence of the year 1968; the day of June 4th began with tremendous hope for the country, yet it ended in tragedy, and unfortunately, a brilliant young man had to pay the ultimate price.
Movie Review: A Glimpse Into What Could Have Been
Summary: 5 Stars
A pivotal moment in the history of the world has been captured by writer/director Emilio Estevez in his brilliant film, "Bobby," a chronicle of the day Senator and Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was murdered in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June, 1968.
On June 6, 1968, when RFK died, the hope of a nation died along with him. It was the day that began a downward spiral of true democracy in the United States of America, which has taken us, finally, as a country, into the darkness of corporate corruption and political despotism.
Which is why this film is so important.
With this film, Estevez, rather than put together just another filmed biography, has reignited the light that was Bobby Kennedy. Rather than throw facts, figures and debate at you, he instead resurrects the spirit of the man, and in doing so captures the very essence of who Robert Kennedy was and what he stood for. And he succeeds in large measure by using archival footage of Kennedy, rather than casting an actor in the role, which allows the viewer to experience Kennedy as he really was, to hear the compassion in his voice and see it in his eyes. Listening to Kennedy deliver a speech is moving and powerful; and for those too young to remember, or for those who were not around at the time, it affords the opportunity of knowing what it was like to hear words that really meant something, coming from a politician who really cared and knew how to convey the truth of his convictions with such eloquent determination.
What a marked contrast to the empty rhetoric and falsehoods espoused by the inarticulate, semiliterate demagogue currently in power.
As the film points out, Kennedy came from privilege, and he knew it; and he felt obliged (in his own words) to give something back. He said it and he meant it. Bobby Kennedy had a vision of how truly great this country could be, and wanted to do something about it. Unfortunately for all of us, Fate intervened.
The individual stories of the many characters in the film are interesting and well presented, but on their own they are not that important, nor were they meant to be. The drama that plays out among them as that dire moment we all know is coming approaches is the drama of all of our lives; they are Everyman and Everywoman, and they are there to set the stage and lend emotional ballast to the story. And under the care and guidance of Estevez it works, as it enables the viewer to identify and relate to what is happening, and what is about to happen.
The all-star cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Harry Belafonte, Laurence Fishburne, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Freddy Rodriguez, Elijah Wood, David Krumholtz, Heather Graham, Joshua Jackson, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Martin Sheen, Shia LaBeouf, Nick Cannon, Brian Geraghty and Emilio Estevez.
In this film, Estevez does not place Bobby Kennedy on a pedestal; he does not portray him as a fallen god. What he does is capture the spirit of a time and a man who carried the hope of a nation in his dreams. Estevez proffers no conspiracy theories and no fingers are pointed in this film. "Bobby" is simply what it was meant to be: A glimpse into what could have been and never was. And it makes you long for a leader you can trust, someone you can truly believe in; for a country that stands tall and is not undermined by ersatz "patriotism." This film makes you long for the restoration of the real America.
Movie Review: Outstanding
Summary: 5 Stars
"Bobby" follows the stories of several groups of people connected with the Ambassador Hotel on the day Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. It boasts an excellent pedigree: some wonderful performances given by a host of popular actors, and superlative direction and screenplay by Emilio Estevez.
It's certainly the best movie I've seen so far this year, and one of the absolute best mainstream Hollywood movies I've seen in recent memory.
Standout performances come from Anthony Hopkins as hotel doorman John Casey, Christian Slater as the racist food & beverages manager Timmons, an astoundingly sensitive turn by a newly all-grown-up Lindsay Lohan as young bride Diane, the always wonderful William H. Macey as hotel manager Paul, and Sharon Stone, proving once more her considerable talent as a serious actress (which is nice, after the abominable "Basic Instinct 2") as Paul's wife Miriam.
Although, to be fair, every principal actor does a wonderful job in "Bobby", particularly movie newcomers like Freddy Rodriguez and Svetlana Metkina. "Bobby", themes and subtexts notwithstanding, is by itself a worthwhile showcase of great actors giving brilliantly-cast, moving performances.
Emilio Estevez has done a superb job with the direction of the piece, too. The nice thing with ensemble movies like "Bobby" is that when a subplot comes along that bores you, at least you needen't spend too long there before you get to watch something more interesting. Happily, in "Bobby", this doesn't occur - even the more straightforward stories, such as those of alcoholic lounge singer Virginia Fallon, or married couple Jack and Samantha, are well-acted and scripted enough to be watchable, and come into their own in the closing moments of the movie, underpinning the real message of this seemingly loosely-structured film: following a leader blindly can lead to disaster.
And it's in these subtexts that Esteves' talent behind the camera shines: there's no preaching or propaganda, there's no monloguing, and no cheese: every aspect of the production of "Bobby" is handled with such skill and class as to truly achieve all of the movie's aims. The different stories connect and affect each other with great subtlety, and as with any whole, fulfilling film, it's not possible to grasp all of the meanings in one viewing: "Bobby" is something you'll gain new insight into each time you see it.
I can't recommend "Bobby" highly enough, it's a truly wonderful film filled with exceptional actors in exceptional roles, and a feast for lovers of drama and character-driven stories. See it now!
Movie Review: Very spectacular historical movie!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really love this movie. It is very moving but yet sad as well, because of the untimely tragic happening that had happened to Bobby Kennedy, a man who was really hoping to make things better for the nation. The year was 1968. It was a year that the nation had encountered some negative occurrences. The war in Vietnam was worse than ever, people were getting high on drugs, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April of that year, and, there was still racism and prejudice. The movie stars William H. Macy, who plays a manager of the famous, but now demolished Ambassador Hotel, Sharon Stone plays his beautician wife (who looks almost like Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeannie and Nancy Sinatra), Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, and a few other well known actors of today. What is really wonderful is the archival footage of Bobby giving speeches, and his famous speech in the Embassy Room of the hotel being meshed into the movie. It is so excellent that when you see the footage of his victory speech, you almost get the feeling that the crowd in the movie is watching him give it. From what I learned among one of the special features of this DVD is that some scenes were shot in the actual hotel one week before it was demolished. Thirty-six hours after the film was completed, the famous Ambassador Hotel was gone. When watching this movie, you almost get the feeling that you are actually in Los Angeles inside that hotel and in 1968. This movie is highly recommended for any person who is into famous events in U.S. history. Now, as for the special features, there is Bobby: The Making of an American Epic, Eyewitness Accounts from the Ambassador Hotel, and the Theatrical Trailer. The Eyewitness Accounts is wonderful to see, because it has people who were working with Bobby on his campaign and were also at the hotel on that now famous night in June, 1968. Descriptions of the campaign and the events from that night are also revealed in that feature as well. From what I learned, if Bobby had won the election in 1968 (and been inaugurated as President in January, 1969), things would have been different and possibly much better for the nation. The racial tensions and rioting would have ended, the war in Vietnam would have ended in 1969 instead of continuing on until 1972, the Watergate scandal would not have happened, and perhaps several other positive things would have been made possible by Bobby. When Bobby was shot, all of the nation's hopes and dreams were suddenly taken away from us. It was all over. Things became more chaotic and hectic for the next several years. Get this movie; you will love it!!Movie Review: An Important Day In A Hopeful Era
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was much different and even better than I expected. It really wasn't so much about Bobby Kennedy the man but more about what he represented to America in 1968. The film follows various people throughout their day at the Ambassador Hotel as they awaited Kennedy's arrival the night of his assassination. The huge ensemble cast includes William H. Macy as Paul the hotel manager, Demi Moore as alcoholic night club singer Virgina Fallon and Martin Sheen as Jack, a rich guy who is in psychotherapy for depression and beginning to question the materialistic and superficial lifestyle of he and his wife. Some other significant story lines involve two young Kennedy aides taking their first LSD trip, a humble and thoughtful young Latino kitchen worker and a couple about to get married so that the guy will be sent to Germany rather than Vietnam.
The movie also skillfully mixes in a substanial amount of archival footage from the Kennedy campaign that shows the enthuiastic, almost euphoric, crowds that flocked to meet him. Portions of several Kennedy speeches are also played back and they demonstrate the optimism and power of Kennedy's message. His words reminded me most of the great poet Walt Whitman in their call for America to realize it's highest potential as a true "land of the free" for all its people. It's the sort of idealism you don't hear too often nowadays and that's a shame.
The characters are brought to life by some tremendous acting and their stories are all quite interesting. But, more than any single individual, this movie is really about capturing what America and its people were like on June the 6th, 1968. The public was divided and in turmoil over the war in Vietnam, race relations were strained to the point of violence and gender roles were changing, as both women and men began to question the status quo. At this time Bobby Kennedy represented a change for the better to millions of Americans, especially racial and ethnic minorites, the poor, women and others who weren't being given an equal opportunity.
I am too realistic about politics to believe that Bobby Kennedy was a saint or that America would be a perfect place if he had been elected president. But there is no doubt that RFK still stands as an important symbol for hope, justice and a brighter future for all Americans.