Bobby (2006)

The story of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was shot in the early morning hours of June 5, 1968 in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and twenty-two people in the hotel, whose lives were never the same.

Director:

Emilio Estevez

Writer:

Emilio Estevez

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Belafonte	...	Nelson
Joy Bryant	...	Patricia
Nick Cannon	...	Dwayne
Emilio Estevez	...	Tim
Laurence Fishburne	...	Edward
Brian Geraghty	...	Jimmy
Heather Graham	...	Angela
Anthony Hopkins	...	John
Helen Hunt	...	Samantha
Joshua Jackson	...	Wade
David Krumholtz	...	Agent Phil
Ashton Kutcher	...	Fisher
Shia LaBeouf	...	Cooper
Lindsay Lohan	...	Diane
William H. Macy	...	Paul

Storyline

Tuesday, June 4, 1968: the California Presidential primary. As day breaks, Robert F. Kennedy arrives at the Ambassador Hotel. He'll campaign, then speak to supporters at midnight. To capture the texture of the late 1960s, we see vignettes at the hotel: a couple marries so he can avoid Vietnam, kitchen staff discuss race and baseball, a man cheats on his wife, another is fired for racism, a retired hotel doorman plays chess in the lobby with an old friend, a campaign strategist's wife needs a pair of black shoes, two campaign staff trip on LSD, a lounge singer is on the downhill slide. Through it all, we see and hear R.F.K. calling for a better society and a better nation.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | female stockinged legs | female stockinged feet | female stockinged soles | robert f. kennedy character | 

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Taglines:

He saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw war and tried to stop it.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug content and a scene of violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the time since the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, Emilio Estevez had grown into a promising writer and director, who was in search of that one special project that would take him to creative places he'd never been. While conducting a photo shoot in the Ambassador Hotel, Estevez was suddenly reeling with memories from that trip with his father, and inspiration struck. Estevez decided he would start writing about the night that Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Estevez explained: "All I knew in the beginning is that I wanted to tell a story that would celebrate the spirit of Bobby."

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Goofs

(at around 21 mins) 4-beam sky-tracker (Pichel) style searchlight beams are shown. These were first brought to market in the 1979-1980.

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Quotes

[after causing a disruption in the restaurant]
Jimmy: Are you still high from the acid?
Cooper: No... well, maybe a little.
[Susan, the waitress walks up to the table and sets down a tray of food]
Jimmy: We didn't order this.
Susan Taylor: You guys have gotta eat something.
Cooper: Why is that?
Susan Taylor: [smiling] Is this the first time you two have turned on?
[Cooper laughs nervously]
Susan Taylor: Oh, come on fellas, your pupils are like saucers.
[...]

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Connections

References Nashville (1975)

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Soundtracks

Function at the Junction
Written by Shorty Long (as Frederick Long) and Eddie Holland (as Edward Holland Jr.)
Performed by Shorty Long
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Captures the Era and the Man

I saw the movie "Bobby" as part of the Vienna International Film Festival last week and thought it was an incredibly powerful film. The movie focuses on around 20 people in and around the Ambassador Hotel the day that Robert Kennedy was shot there. The large cast never seems overwhelming. The characters are clear enough that we remember what they were doing the last time we saw them, but we never feel like they are merely one-dimensional. Emilio Estevez really hit the jackpot with his cast - they all are 100% committed to their roles and the audience simply gets lost in the era.

The cast is phenomenal - the standouts include Sharon Stone (who has a a chance at a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination if the Academy can overlook Basic Instinct 2), Nick Cannon as a young Black-American working on the campaign, and Freddy Rodriguez as a young Latino working in the kitchen. The later two, combined with Lindsey Lohan as a woman marrying to save a man's life, serve as the heart of the movie and bring a well-balanced view of many of the hot issues of the day.

The movie has an incredible, emotional climax that is enhanced by an actual speech of Bobby Kennedy. The audio and visual clips of Kennedy serve as snapshots into his life and the work he did during his short time in the public eye. You can read whatever you want to into the political agenda of the movie, but in the end this movie is a tribute to Robert F. Kennedy and his time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

23 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bobby

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$69,039, 19 November 2006

Gross USA:

$11,242,801

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,718,608

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company, Bold Films, Bobby

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 112 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1