A day in the life of Bobby Kennedy

Bobby is a very good movie about the last day in the life of Bobby Kennedy. It was written and directed by Emilio Estevez, and features a huge cast of actors including Anthony Hopkins, Elijah Wood, Lindsay Lohan, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Shia LeBeouf, Ashton Kutcher, and many more. It was nominated for Best Drama at the Golden Globes, and will very likely get some Oscar attention.

Rather than actually being about Kennedy, this movie plays like a day in the life of all the people who were there at the hotel where he was killed. Nobody actually plays Kennedy besides a few brief moments where a body double in used. Instead, actual video footage of Kennedy is spliced into the picture. It’s a little distracting at first, but I think hearing and seeing the real Kennedy is far better than watching some actor try to mimic him.

The story is told through a series of vignettes that are all tied together in one way or the other. The overall point was to show how people from all walks of life were affected by Kennedy. From the wealthy older couple on their second honeymoon to the immigrants working in the kitchen, these people all find some kind of common ground. Their stories concern everything from racism, war, love, failing marriages, drug experimentation, and more. Estevez did a really great job of putting together many different elements of life in the late 60’s, but did so while avoiding most major clichés.

As much as I found the individual stories very interesting, I think this movie failed in one regard. It never gave any information on Sirhan Sirhan, who was Kennedy’s assassin. I can see how Estevez maybe didn’t want to even mention the guy’s name, but at the same time I thought it was necessary to explain why he shot Kennedy. Sirhan was upset at Kennedy over his support of Israel. Given the conflict in the Middle East right now, I think it should be important to remind people that murder is the way that people like Sirhan (and by ‘people’ I mean hard-line Islamic fascists) deal with disagreement.

I think Emilio Estevez did an amazing job directing this movie, and he even gave himself a small part. He plays the husband of Demi Moore, to whom he was once engaged. His real life dad, Martin Sheen, also has a small role. Too bad Charlie couldn’t get in on it. With such a talented cast at his disposal, Estevez really was playing with a stacked deck, and his camera caught many moments of magic. It’s also nice to see veteran actors working alongside newcomers in such a seamless fashion.

On the DVD Special Features, there’s one very interesting interview with Estevez where he talks about how much trouble he went through just to make this movie. It took several years to get together the money and people, but in the end he was able to pull together a dream cast full of Oscar winners and many well-respected actors. Estevez also talks about how a chance meeting with someone who was actually there at the hotel the day Kennedy was shot, and how that person inspired the Lindsay Lohan character.

This movie is so tightly paced that its two hour running time just breezes by. Despite a few shortcomings, I thought this was a great movie. Bobby is now available on DVD to rent or own.