Bobby [Movie Review]

http://www.michaelmedved.com ^ | Michael Medved

[Fiji Hill]

BOBBY

Bobby uses an all-star cast to follow more than twenty characters through one of the most fateful days in American history.

CLIP: “Senator Kennedy, welcome to the Ambassador Hotel.” “Thank you very much.”

That’s Anthony Hopkins as a hotel doorman who joins Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Lawrence Fishburne, Christian Slater, and many others to dramatize the night of Robert Kennedy’s assassination at his LA victory celebration in 1968.

CLIP: “What if Kennedy loses?” “We can all forget it now. I’m 19, Jimmy, I don’t want to go to Vietnam.” “Do you?” “Now that Dr. King is gone, I don’t have nobody.”

This is a particularly moving film for me because I was there as a young Kennedy volunteer on that June night when Bobby was shot. I can confirm that director/writer Emilio Estevez gets most of the feelings of the occasion right. But, the melodramatic, multi-character format proves somewhat uneven and distracting. Rated R for language, violence, and drug content…

THREE STARS for the intriguing but imperfect Bobby.

That’s a wrap. I’m Michael Medved for Eye on Entertainment.

[fight_truth_decay]

Although you may have come in thinking you were going to get the story of Robert F. Kennedy on his final day on earth, Bobby turns out to be a sort of Upstairs, Downstairs behind-the-scenes look at that tragic day.

The film’s focus is on the “little people,” who range from the recently retired hotel doorman (Anthony Hopkins), who plays chess in the lobby with a fellow retiree (Harry Belafonte), to the rocky relationship between the headliner in the hotel’s Coconut Grove nightspot, (Demi Moore), who is an abusive lush, and her ever-patient emasculated husband (Estevez), who walks her dog as he rides her gravy train..

Estevez bounces back and forth between these stories. It’s quickly clear that some are meant to underline the events and sentiments that propelled the United States in that era. Thus, there’s the poignant story of a young woman (Lindsay Lohan) who is marrying a longtime friend (Elijah Wood) not out of love, but to save him from what they feel is certain to be a military assignment in Vietnam.

For comic relief, there’s a pair of teenage Kennedy campaign aides (Brian Geraghty and Shia LeBeouf) who, instead of ringing doorbells to get out the vote in the primary, hightail it to the hotel room of a hippie drug dealer (Ashton Kutcher) for marijuana. Instead, they are persuaded to ingest sugar cubes laced with LSD, which sends them on a wild, psychedelic acid trip.

A subplot about the Hispanic kitchen staff seems closest to today’s headlines, reflecting the plight of immigrant workers. Here Freddy Rodriguez plays a young busboy who’d rather be watching a pivotal Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game than following his last-minute assignment to cover the Kennedy campaign dinner. Jacob Vargas is his belligerently angry co-worker, who feels downtrodden by the system. Christian Slater is their slightly bigoted boss. Laurence Fishburne is a cook who turns up to reflect on what is needed to change the less-than-fair racially charged system: Every now and then Bobby pauses to deliver a philosophical message that is supposed to be uplifting, but too often sounds preachy.

These characters are leagues away from the wealthy stockbrocker (Martin Sheen, Estevez’s father in real life) who arrives at the Ambassador with his pretty, pampered wife (Helen Hunt), on their way to what they hope will be that night’s victory party for RFK and a revival of their strained marriage.

Less attuned to the film’s particular focus is Sharon Stone as the hotel’s flashy hairdresser; her purpose in the plot is to steer Lohan’s and Moore’s characters toward the right path. Yet one fears trouble ahead because Stone’s Miriam is married to the hotel manager (William H. Macy), who is having that adulterous affair with the switchboard operator.

Whew! There sure is a lot of soap opera froth to swim through in Bobby, although fortunately much of it is anecdotally interesting, if not earth-shattering...Review

The movie was given the name BOBBY, but it is more the timeframe of events involving the "little people" on the day(s) during this historical event in history. The title leads one to believe it is about RFK; when, in fact, it is not. It is just a piece of fiction..a Hollywood movie..out to make lots of big bucks for your entertainment purpose only.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

We elected a conservative governor as late as 1986, when George Deukmejian won re-election.

I have not been to California much, but in my opinion the best way to elect a conservative Republican statewide in California would be to run a conservative Hispanic Republican based on social issues. RINO Republicans would be opposed because of the issues, and the Hispanics may be more concerned about immigration and economic left wing issues at this time, but the day may come!!

[Tenniel]

As in most conflicts when the adversaries aren't homicidal/suicidal lunatics, the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis gave both sides something they wanted. Nikita Sergeyevitch agreed to remove what he called "the weapons you [the U.S.] describe as offensive" in exchange for our promise not to invade Cuba. To sweeten the deal, Jack had Bobby conduct back-channel negotiations with Anatoly Dobrynin, the Soviet ambassador to the U.S., the upshot of which was our dismantling of our Jupiter missile bases in Turkey.

In a way, I miss those guys.

[FReepapalooza]

Thanks for the enlightening review. I can think of a lot of others ways to spend or waste a couple of hours. I think I'll stick to reading.

[Let's Roll]

I'm shocked to hear that. /s

[drhogan]

i never heard WHY rfk got the wiretap on mlk.
do you happen to know what the kennedys were worrying about?

[Fiji Hill]

Here Freddy Rodriguez plays a young busboy who’d rather be watching a pivotal Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game

The pivotal game was Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale's sixth consecutive shutout, which broke the world's record. I was at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 1968, when Drysdale tied the record. As I entered the stadium, a young man passing out campaign literature asked me, "do you want to vote for Senator Kennedy?" I answered, "no thanks, I'd rather not." I may have been too young to vote at the time, but I was old enough to have an opinion.

[Dan(9698)]

...what was his stance on the Patriot Act and wiretapping?

He was wiretapping the mob without warrants.

[DoughtyOne]

I remember also. I agree.

[Godwin1]

Good partial list of Islamic/Arab terror attacks.

Add the 1973 murder of US diplomats Cleo Noel and George Moore. The US diplomats and a Belgian colleague were taken hostage/murdered by Palestinian terror group Black September during a reception at the Saudi Embassy in Kharthoum. Among the terrorists' principal demands was the release of Sirhan Sirhan. President Nixon refused to negotiate.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan steps down from a tray-stacker with a "sick, villainous smile" on his face and starts firing at Kennedy with an eight-shot revolver

What is it with recent political assassins choosing 22LR revolvers? Sirhan Sirhan used an Iver-Johnson and John Hinckley, Jr. used a Rohm RG-14 22LR instead of the .38 Spl he also apparently had on him at the time. I feel guilty shooting a raccoon with something so underpowered.

[tophat9000]

Kind of bugs me in the preview with the whole "the border crossed us" comment from the Hispanic guy. Way to make RFK seem to have a stance on a modern issue.

Well RFK was playing up the Hispanic's during that Cal primary.. I was 12 in 68 and lived in So Cal. RFK did a open car motorcade in the area I lived (Pico Rivera, about 50/50 white Hispanic at the time)

So went out to watch and shook RFK's hand (I was no supporter of RFK but it was a big deal)....

I remember the campaign buttons they were tossing to the crowd...

It has a round Aztec calender on it, with the words "Viva Kennedy"

[Melinda]

Funny. I wasn't even thinking of CHARLIE Sheen.

[Andy'smom]

"i never heard WHY rfk got the wiretap on mlk.
do you happen to know what the kennedys were worrying about?"

Supposedly, the Kennedys thought he had communist connections.

[Ptaz]

What most people don't realize is that the idea most people have of the Kennedy's was created after JFK's assassination. Jackie admitted to a public relations campaign to create an image. She intensified that campaign when RFK was assassinated. Most people today don't really have an accurate picture of the Kennedy's. At best JFK was a mediocre to poor president who basically had no clue. RFK was so caught up in social issues that who knows what would have happened if he had lived. Kind of Scary.

[drhogan]

thanks!

[N. Theknow]

the book of bobby kennedy's own words sounds interesting--i've always heard from liberal worshippers of jfk that he would have pulled out of VN.

One worshiper at the Church of Kennedy actually said to me, "And there was no AIDs epidemic or homeless people when he was President."

[drhogan]

yeah, and no people getting abducted by aliens, no terrorist attacks on NYC, no crack epidemic in the inner cities, and no pornography on the internet!

if JFK hadn't been assassinated, we wouldn't have these problems!

(and no Costco or Walmart either! no bad movies with antonio banderas or julia roberts. NONE of these problems started until right-wing elements killed him!)

[beaversmom]

Thanks for the ping LtheGOP. Haven't seen you around in a while. Heard Michael Medved talk about this on his radio show. I think Estevez would have done a better job had he consulted Michael about the events.

[beaversmom]

Cultural Crusader ping. Anyone want on or off the Michael Medved ping list, please send me an FR mail.