I was a generation too late to experience the overwhelming popularity and immensely saddening death of Robert Kennedy. But even though being an '80s child forced me to miss out on this time in history, a 120-minute film written and directed by Emilio Estevez has taken me back to that time and given me an overwhelming vision of the man they called Bobby, and the legacy that he left behind.
The film does not just attempt to tell the story of his death – it brings forward some of the most impactful things about his life. At the center of this story is a message of hope, and it is visualized through the eyes of those people who were present on that fateful night at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As if channeling Paul Haggis’ concept from last year’s Best Picture winner Crash, Estevez’s film sets up by showing the stories of 22 people who were present on that day. Then as the film develops, we watch each of these separate story lines converge as part of this much larger tragedy. Therein lies the initial brilliance of the film.
Within these story lines are some strong performances by a cast that is – to say the least – star studded. It plays into the new adage that if you throw a bunch of good actors in together then you get a very good movie, but it is superior execution by both director and cast that sets Bobby apart. Most notable of these performances are those of long time supporting actor William H. Macy as the manager of the Ambassador and young Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) who plays a bus boy who ends up front and center during the assassination. The story lines around these two men are the standouts, keeping the story moving toward its inevitable end. Other actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Martin Sheen, and Joshua Jackson are well cast in their roles, giving the film its authenticity. Even Ashton Kutcher, playing a hippy drug dealer holed up in one of the hotel’s suites fails at his usual game of ruining a movie by overdoing it. For that, the director should be commended.
Article comments
1 - Rodney Welch
And you heard Ted Kennedy's eulogy and tried to quote it.
2 - Neil Miller
The quote from the eulogy was the tag line for the film. I found it relevant. Is there anything wrong with quoting it?
3 - Rodney Welch
Attribution would't hurt.
4 - Bob
The film did a good job of showing what else was going on that day. My problem is the title. Kennedy wasn't even shown until about an hour into this two hour film, hence, the title should be "The day Bobby was shot" since that is the subject of the film. The title "Bobby" is misleading in that it gives the impression that the entire film was about "Bobby". Also, it has been advertised as being about the last 16 hours of his life, yet he isn't even shown until he gets to the hotel shortly before his speech.
5 - jascha
Well written review.
6 - John Bailo
This was a film about change and passing. Down to the final scene where Bobby's blood splatters the principle characters. Saying "his death allowed new life".
Marriage, race, drugs -- 1968 was the tipping point. Bobby was both old and new. A breakthrough? Or the last gasp of the Old Guard.
In any case, the People had to take charge of the change. Blacks couldn't depend on King. Now Whites couldn't depend on the Kennedys. Government became less relevant to the average person, as power and wealth grew enough to let the average person enact change in their lives.