Estevez and Moore

But what the baby boomers know, and what director/writer Emilio Estevez and his talented ensemble (William H. Macy, Nick Cannon, Joshua Jackson, Lindsay Lohan and many, many more) are trying to show with Bobby, is that Bobby Kennedy's presence and potential may have been greater than his more notorious brother's. Maybe it was a result of Bobby's youthful exuberance or his health (JFK was really rather sickly), or maybe Bobby was just a tad more charismatic than his bro. Maybe his attitudes and political direction were just slightly more radical, or just more humane, less polished and politiqued. Any and all of those reasons may account for the mass euphoria surrounding Bobby Kennedy's run at the presidential nomination in 1968. But even more likely, it was what Bobby symbolized that made him such an important figure to those who shared his period in history.

After the horrific murder of his brother and the subsequent snuffing of Martin Luther King, and with the country mired in a crippling economic scramble, not to mention a pointless and bloody war in Indochina, Bobby Kennedy was the last gasp of a particular American idea. RFK inspired America to see itself as a place of hope and humanity, a place of love and benevolence - no, not in point of fact, but as something to strive for. Bobby was the figurehead of the United States' last uncynical self-image. And the shots that ripped through his chest and ended him were the birth cry of a new and sombre age - the Age of Disillusionment.

Estevez is keenly aware of this but doesn't beat us over the head with it. He lets it unfurl itself through the stories of his characters, all living their lives in the backdrop of this blossoming hope, and each in his and her own way enlivened by it.

Bobby
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Bobby     Estevez gives us a powerful film even though it can sometimes feel like a serie of anecdotes. It's not difficult to establish parallels between this movie and our current era. People were starting to get over the Vietnam War during that period as we are now wondering what to do with Iraq and Afghanistan. I can't help but wonder if this kind of discourse Bobby was having would still be possible today. His discourse was about compassion, having a selfless country. His discourse was about reaching out and not about seeing everyone as a terrorist. I can't help but wonder what would the future of that country been if he had been in power for a period of time. Maybe our current era would be the same but at least some Americans could've lived under someone else than Nixon. Estevez shows us how different lives have evolved while Bobby was going toward his deadly destiny. Some lives are more interesting than others to follow but they all offer something different. As for the actors, no performance is Oscar-worthy but the whole cast is pretty solid. Hopkins and Macy lead the way brilliantly as always. Wood is also pretty solid as are the two young guys choosing to experiment with drugs instead of helping Bobby raise more votes. Some of the actors are not that convincing. Kutcher looks out of place as a drug dealer and offers a performance without much depth. Stone and Lohan offer honest performances but their respective breakdown doesn't seem to be felt. What I retain is that there is always a time when people start questioning wars. This movie comes at the right time. But at the same time, I find it easy to release it at a time when most people are questioning war in Iraq. I would've loved to see this movie come out months ago to provoke some reflexions among Americans (and others). The impact would've been much more revealing. Some of the actors are not totally convincing.
Marc Charette	{13 votes}	December 5th, 2006
All the way with RFK     I recently watched a fascinating documentary on Robert Kennedy earlier this week on PBS. While not a baby boomer myself I am well aquainted with the turbulant, indulgent and historic decade of the 1960's. My generation (famously known as generation x) moans about the never-ending legacy of the baby boomers, and perhaps rightfully so. However, it is hard to deny the significance of the 60's: culturally, politically, historically and musically. One of the biggist, and perhaps one of the most underrated, figures of this time was Bobby Kennedy. This article really gets it right when reflecting on Bobby Kennedy's contributions and characteristics and a vivid picture of the man/politician/activist/icon does emerge in the reader's mind. Unfortunately, there is one major factual error which cannot be ignored here. Shots never "ripped through his chest" and it was not shots which ended Bobby Kennedy's life, but rather a single shot to the head. Just a minor factual detail right? Wrong. All details are important including how Bobby Kennedy was assasinated. After winning the California Primary, Bobby Kennedy ended his victory speech with these words: "thank you, now let's win in Chicago." A thumbs up to the crowd and a quick swipe of hair from his forehead concluded what would be Bobby Kennedy's last speech. He was now just moments away from his death as he made his way through the crowd and into the kitchen. While shaking hands with the kitchen staff a lone gunman walks up to Bobby Kennedy and puts a single bullet into his brain, abruptly and tragically ending his life. While the article did get the death of Bobby Kennedy wrong, it certainly got his life and legacy right.
Zoe Jay	{12 votes}	November 30th, 2006
A Frustrating Film     I would hope that at some point the inspirational Robert Kennedy would inspire some great film about him. Unfortunately for us and him we are left with hacks like David Heymann and his warrantless hatchet job of a biography. And this formless film. I respect the fact that the film was such a personal affair for Mr. Estevez but unfortunately he is a mediocre director and an even worse writer. The is a cliched affair with a few bright moments courtesy of actual speeches from Mr. Kennedy. The acting runs the gamut as the cast is left floundering within the all-too-broad screenplay. This is precisely the type of film that dvds are for.
Reuven De Souza	{1 vote}	March 28th, 2007
Bobby     The Kennedys went through so many dramas from generation to generation, I found this movie pretty interesting, I learned a lot about Robert F Kennedy while watching this movie. Emilio Estevez makes a nice comback with his film, I hope that he'll create another masterpiece like this one in the near future. Go see it, you won't regret it.
Brian Fung	{1 vote}	December 14th, 2006
Film Review 101/Emilio Estevez takes a polaroid of the dying days of idealism in America in Bobby     After JFK, Martin Luther King, RFK and John Lennon you could pretty much draw the dividing line when idealism turned to cynicism in America. This movie is an excellent portrait of the times and the people that lived there. It's hard to explain to anyone born after 1980 how the mood changed from true idealism and hope to that product that the Reagan era gave us. This movie will certainly have a stronger impact on a certain segment of the population than it will on the iPod generation. They'll see a biopic of sorts with big names and everyone else will see a snapshot of an era long gone. True, this movie isn't flawless but it does what it sets out to do. A lot of movies these days can't even seem to get that right. Go watch it if you can.
Pedro Eggers	{10 votes}	December 1st, 2006

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