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 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 just because a man has a few "Battlefield Earth" and "Catwoman"-like stinkers 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 necessarily works here. There are so many familiar faces that pop up like a Jack-In-The-Box and then disappear just as quickly, that it's actually 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.
This is an ensemble vehicle, in the tradition of the late Robert Altman. Like every ensemble vehicle, the star is subject matter--RFK himself.
As for it's much-touted heavy-hitter cast: Christian Slater is one of the best out there, 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 reptilian demeanor of his might have helped. He's a racist who's as interesting as plain white-bread. Heather Graham is equally ineffective (has she ever given a really great performance?) Joshua Jackson (who worked with Esztevez in "The Mighty Ducks" films) isn't really given anything to do at all.
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 beard. He seems to be in serious danger of becoming just another flavor-of-the-month like those before him (and after him). With roles in movies like "The Butterfly Effect" and this, there may be hope.
Lawrence Fishburne almost steals the movie as a veteran cook at the Ambassador. He has a deep philosophical mind and some theories on the way the world is... and how to survive in it. How to make it yours. He sounds so insightful, like an older, seasoned veteran not miles away from Kennedy himself. He talks about how anger is toxic and his admiration for Dr. King and how it hurt when...
Legendary Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins appears as the elderly doorman who won't retire because the boredom and feeling of uselessness gets to him. His role is pretty unremarkable, although he brings the same grace and dignity he does to pretty much any role he's in. It's nice to see him away from his "Hannibal" repertoire. And "Bobby" is a vast improvement over Ron Howard's desecration of "The Grinch."
Director Esztevez and Demi Moore appear together as a couple for the first time in Esztevez' nearly unwatchable "Wisdom," which contained none of what was promised. Or anything else worth seeing. They have some worthwhile moments as a show-business couple, especially Moore. And it's one of the few sub-plots that work.
The only true stand-outs here are Lawrence Fishburne, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Martin Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Everyone else seems is just coasting. Because they're all distinguished veterans, we want them to make an enormous impact. The kind where the scene and line becomes a legendary quoted movie moment. But each shot just shows big-name marquee headers doing what just about anyone could have done.
But does it work? The most crippling flaw in "Bobby" is that because of the contemporary faces and their underdeveloped characters and underwritten scenes, we're never convinced we're back there during that fatal day. And when RFK walks through the door, onto the stage... we're never really convinced that he's in that room at this moment.
Throughout the whole film, I was aware that they were just using old footage of Bob and the entire cast--er, members of the Ambassador were cheering facing a camera crew.
There are some moments that alone make Bobby worth seeing: A scene where a deception is going on and is revealed--we see the victim's tears and pain, a conversation in a kitchen that really stays with you, two buttoned-down campaign volunteers who volunteer to embrace something more have than Kennedy, the reporter dying to see the senator in the flesh. All story lines that could have really packed a wallop if they're were written more. Was Esztevez on a schedule?
In the end, what truly makes this a movie to see is the passion. The passion that Esztevez has for Bobby and has had ever since dear Emilio actually came in contact with him when he was but five years old.
"Bobby"'s finale (yes, that is the correct phrase) comes to no surprise, but what is so astonishing is how much such an act can still touch us as if we are actually there and then. It helps give the film more of an impact than everything leading up to it did.
What matters really is not when or how Kennedy left, but that he was there. Now that he's gone, it's says sad things about us how much we need him now...
--For Bobby, 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 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 just because a man has a few "Battlefield Earth" and "Catwoman"-like stinkers 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 necessarily works here. There are so many familiar faces that pop up like a Jack-In-The-Box and then disappear just as quickly, that it's actually 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.
This is an ensemble vehicle, in the tradition of the late Robert Altman. Like every ensemble vehicle, the star is subject matter--RFK himself.
As for it's much-touted heavy-hitter cast: Christian Slater is one of the best out there, 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 reptilian demeanor of his might have helped. He's a racist who's as interesting as plain white-bread. Heather Graham is equally ineffective (has she ever given a really great performance?) Joshua Jackson (who worked with Esztevez in "The Mighty Ducks" films) isn't really given anything to do at all.
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 beard. He seems to be in serious danger of becoming just another flavor-of-the-month like those before him (and after him). With roles in movies like "The Butterfly Effect" and this, there may be hope.
Lawrence Fishburne almost steals the movie as a veteran cook at the Ambassador. He has a deep philosophical mind and some theories on the way the world is... and how to survive in it. How to make it yours. He sounds so insightful, like an older, seasoned veteran not miles away from Kennedy himself. He talks about how anger is toxic and his admiration for Dr. King and how it hurt when...
Legendary Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins appears as the elderly doorman who won't retire because the boredom and feeling of uselessness gets to him. His role is pretty unremarkable, although he brings the same grace and dignity he does to pretty much any role he's in. It's nice to see him away from his "Hannibal" repertoire. And "Bobby" is a vast improvement over Ron Howard's desecration of "The Grinch."
Director Esztevez and Demi Moore appear together as a couple for the first time in Esztevez' nearly unwatchable "Wisdom," which contained none of what was promised. Or anything else worth seeing. They have some worthwhile moments as a show-business couple, especially Moore. And it's one of the few sub-plots that work.
The only true stand-outs here are Lawrence Fishburne, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Martin Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Everyone else seems is just coasting. Because they're all distinguished veterans, we want them to make an enormous impact. The kind where the scene and line becomes a legendary quoted movie moment. But each shot just shows big-name marquee headers doing what just about anyone could have done.
But does it work? The most crippling flaw in "Bobby" is that because of the contemporary faces and their underdeveloped characters and underwritten scenes, we're never convinced we're back there during that fatal day. And when RFK walks through the door, onto the stage... we're never really convinced that he's in that room at this moment.
Throughout the whole film, I was aware that they were just using old footage of Bob and the entire cast--er, members of the Ambassador were cheering facing a camera crew.
There are some moments that alone make Bobby worth seeing: A scene where a deception is going on and is revealed--we see the victim's tears and pain, a conversation in a kitchen that really stays with you, two buttoned-down campaign volunteers who volunteer to embrace something more have than Kennedy, the reporter dying to see the senator in the flesh. All story lines that could have really packed a wallop if they're were written more. Was Esztevez on a schedule?
In the end, what truly makes this a movie to see is the passion. The passion that Esztevez has for Bobby and has had ever since dear Emilio actually came in contact with him when he was but five years old.
"Bobby"'s finale (yes, that is the correct phrase) comes to no surprise, but what is so astonishing is how much such an act can still touch us as if we are actually there and then. It helps give the film more of an impact than everything leading up to it did.
What matters really is not when or how Kennedy left, but that he was there. Now that he's gone, it's says sad things about us how much we need him now...
--For Bobby, Dane Youssef