Bobby

Review 1 of 11

Arluin writes:

3of 4 Stars

I like the movie but I didn't love it or find it compelling viewing.
I do think some of the previous reviewers are missing the point....THIS IS NOT A DOCUMENTARY.
The film is a reasonable slice of the times when America was going through a lot of change. I think Emilio Estevez did a reasonable job of capturing what was going on in the late 60's from anti-Vietnam protests to experimenting with LSD and questioning the current values of that time. I think it was a mistake to call the film 'Bobby', because it leads you to think that it will be a factual account of Bobby Kennedy's life or assassination. He should have called it something like "A Bad Day In '68".
The Bobby Kennedy clips were emotive and poignant, and I think that a lot of people worldwide feel that the loss of Bobby Kennedy was the loss of a potentially great President who represented a new hope for all Americans.
The movie actually inspired me to research the details around Bobby Kennedy's death and the alleged multiple shooters conspiracy that I was unaware of.
Emilio Estevez's first directing attempt was I think 'Wisdom' in 1986, where he was described as not a great director or actor either. 20 years on I think he has improved. Practice makes perfect, keep trying Emilio. This was a watchable and enjoyable film, but not one that I would see twice.

Jan 16, 2008 23:11:45

Review 2 of 11

heather50s writes:

3of 4 Stars

"Bobby" is an earnest attemt by Emilio Estevez to resurrect a childhood hero, RFK. Two noteworthy performances were by Sharon Stone and Lindsay Lohan. Both deserved an Oscar nodd Sharon for her portrayal of a hairstylist and Lindsay for her portrayal of a young war time bride.

Aug 29, 2007 16:02:44

Review 3 of 11

javea63 writes:

4of 4 Stars

I was pleasantly surprised by Bobby. I'm not sure why a lot of critics hated it so much. I thought it did a great job with characters, the time period, providing slices of life during that time, etc. I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could, but since I can't, I'll give it 4 stars. It got an unfair beating from so-called critics.

Jul 28, 2007 22:44:56

Review 4 of 11

paviv writes:

1of 4 Stars

Just a 2 word review: SH$% Sandwich.

OK, i'll elaborate. RFK's life could easily fill a 4 hour gripping movie, yet in this misfire we get to watch cute hollywood stars belch up some of the worst dialogue I've heard in a while. One of those scripts where everything sounds perfectly scripted. Memo to Emilio: real people DO NOT sound anything like these characters. (Laurence Fishburne's preaching was especially awful. I never thought I'd find myself wishing such a fine actor would just shut up and get out of the shot.) Nice of son Emilio to feature papa Martin in his project, but the Sr. Sheen's character/subplot (along with Helen Hunt) was probably the most awkward and useless.
This was a real cliche-drenched disappointment. So bad that I couldn't even make it to what I now hear was an excellent ending. Next time someone makes a film about Bobby Kennedy, perhaps you should include the man in more than one-fifth of the film? Just an idea.

Jul 16, 2007 23:31:50

Review 5 of 11

merlin1 writes:

Not Rated

First of all I had NO desire to see a movie about yet another Kennedy story. I am an ordinarily proud Republican who only was seeing this movie bec. Estevez (my old movie crush) was finally in something and directed it and after The War At Home it restored my faith in his directing abilities. I thought the menagerie of characters was very good and find it INCREDIBLY insulting that critics under-estimate the intelligence of the audience to follow that many characters (it was 22 people NOT 22 different storylines for god's sake). I think we can handle it!

Bottom line: I was in tears at the end of this movie. It made me actually depressed that such a hope for so many people could be extinguished like that. It made me think: WHAT IF? What if he had lived? What if he had made the Presidency? What kind of different direction or world would we be living in? Maybe nothing would have changed. Maybe we'd still be in the same boat we are now. Yeah, Estevez had a liberal axe to grind (trying to slam our current situation in Iraq, etc) but I don't get offended by that anymore. That's Hollywood. I thought all the storylines were good and the cast was great. I didn't see it as "gee that's Sharon Stone playing a hair dresser" she's almost unrecognizable anyway. You can say that about any big actor anymore i.e. "gee, that's Tom Cruise playing a hit-man" in Collateral, etc. I thought it was a valiant effort and, well, it worked for me.

Jun 17, 2007 09:08:10

Review 6 of 11

Tanya3 writes:

4of 4 Stars

I watched "Bobby" this evening and was impressed. It brought back memories from my childhood. I can still remember my grandmother crying after Bobby Kennedy was killed. It was a very sad time for alot of people.
Emilio Estevez is a fantastic actor and director. His father who is the President of the United States on the West Wing is also very political. Maybe someday they will go into politics. Ironically, I have an Estevez political campaign sticker on my car but it is not Emilio Estevez. Up in New Hampshire I had the honor to meet congressional candidate Eric Estevez.
The movie about RFK should be watched by every American. Young people should learn about this great man.

Apr 28, 2007 20:49:56

Review 7 of 11

sunslip writes:

1of 4 Stars

I just made the "Bobby" mistake last night and wasted a
couple hours of my life. The movie is a sixties fashion show
with all the depth of a nightime TV soap opera like "Hotel" or
"Vegas." It was a mood movie, I suppose, and the mood was
BORING.

And Emilio, what were you thinking? Your father, Martin
Sheen, is married to Helen Hunt and kissing her? In which
century, the one that he was born in or she was? Must of been
a favor to the senior Sheen, but it was hard to stomach.
Almost as rough as the affair between the always-hot Heather
Graham and the, well, older and less attractive William H.
Macy.

The last thing it was about was Bobby Kennedy. In fact, it
turned him into a two-dimensional nasally idealist whose
speech at the end seems, well, endless. I'm voting for
McCarthy.

Apr 19, 2007 12:38:25

Review 8 of 11

Recon writes:

Not Rated

I have read several reviews of “Bobby” that pan the individual character stories as distracting sub-plots, caricatures, and what have you.

Maybe I’m reading too much into these stories, or maybe I’m being trite, or maybe I’m the only one who “gets it,” but it seems clear to me that each character, and their story, is a metaphorical microcosm of some segment of U.S. society, or U.S. society at large, as it existed at the time.

The hotel manager, a good, but flawed man, who’s wife explains to him how good he really is; too good, in fact, to subvert such a wonderful character with infidelity. We must aspire to better, and we actually have people telling us this. Will we listen? Does it take “getting caught,” in violation of our own principles, to wake us up? Do we have to look beyond ourselves, our own children and an otherwise good relationship, to find satisfaction? Is America, and our birthright, not good enough?

Martin Sheen, explaining to his wife how much more they are; more than mere appearances, window dressing, and material goods; we, the real us, are in here, somewhere, between all these superficialities, and we are good. Let us search for that goodness, together. Insecurity can be overcome by appreciation of another. Give it.

Anthony Hopkins loves to play games with his black friend, because he, Anthony, always wins. That provides for a solid relationship, as viewed from the past. All is good, so long as Anthony can keep his place as winner. He has no home to go home to, but his black friend does. His black friend is big enough to allow for this satisfaction. His anger has mellowed even more than that of the black cook.

Some kitchen staff, playing basket ball with their notice of a right to vote, and tossing it into the trash. Need I say more?

The campaign aids, getting high and partying, while a few-vote-difference could have made all the difference in the world.

I could go on, and deeper, with an analysis of each character and relationship in the movie; peeling the onion on each one. But if you, on your own, give these relationships more than just a cursory treatment, you will see what I mean. The actual historical excerpts and words were “extra,” filling out the time and place, and showing us that nothing has really changed. Here we are again; and this time, again, without a leader. Bluster and swagger carry the day.

The only weakness I saw was a few unanswered, anticipatory thoughts that might arise in the minds of the ignorant. For one example, I can just see Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Rielly, or other like-minded morons, viewing RFKs discussion of air pollution with the school kids as typical, alarmist, leftist fear-mongering that never came to pass, and should thus serve as a lesson to those who would fall for a parade of horribles and scare-tactics.

Morons will conveniently forget the reasons those worst case scenarios never came to pass: Passage of the Clean Air Act, and the environmental movement. But this is no fault of the director. You can’t expect a high minded film to dumb every thing down to the lowest common denominator.

The lesson from that part of the movie was this: We actually can do something, if we heed our higher calling.

All in all, I think it was an excellent movie.

Nov 26, 2006 15:33:36