A ghastly caricature of the '60s
Added 4/11/2009
I remember Bobby Kennedy's assassination as if it happened yesterday, and was awed by how bad a movie this turned out to be. Comprised of an unrelated series of nonsensical stories, the movie failed miserably at depicting the true look and feel of the late sixties. Even its all-star cast failed to give this production an inkling of credibility. At best it was like watching a high school level play, with costumes straight out of a box labeled "the hippie years," and phony dialogue that made me cringe. The only redeeming features of this badly produced and poorly written film were the actual footage of the era, and the beautiful and poignant speeches of Bobby Kennedy. This production was a dud to the tenth power.
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MOVIE REVIEW
Added 12/30/2008
This movie was pretty good in the fact that it gave some historic information about the day Bobby Kennedy died. I had wanted to see it and couldn't find it for rental anywhere. Amazon always has what I want.
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Excellent movie
Added 4/21/2008
Emelio Estevez did an excellent job with this movie. It showed how Bobby Kennedy affected the lives of people. It was good how he put the various footage of Bobby Kennedy's campaign trail in the movie as well. As I was only a wee baby at the time, it was excellent to see.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Incorrect Focus Cheapens Noble Intention
Added 12/1/2007
Prior to watching Bobby, I knew that the movie was about a group of people that were present when Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was assassinated. Thus, I thought the movie would be a portrayal of how Kennedy's death affected their lives. Instead, the movie was a (somewhat) fictionalized depiction of how these people spent the day of Kennedy's assassination, ending with the assassination itself. Consequently, my reaction to the movie was one of confusion and disappointment.
I wouldn't have had the reaction that I did had two elements in the movie been different. First, Emilio Estevez inserted actual newsreel footage and recordings of Kennedy's speeches throughout the movie. These insertions leave the viewer with the thought that Kennedy's words made an impression on people. Thus, it is confusing why Estevez would take the time to include these words when he doesn't show the impact of them. This flaw directly influences the other item of weakness in the movie: the characters themselves. By presenting such a large group of characters (both campaign staff and those not associated with the campaign), Estevez seems to imply that Kennedy was affecting a broad spectrum of society. However, by implying and not completing that connection, the viewer is left wondering why these people's stories are important to follow. The fact that the movie ends without continuing the cast's stories just heightens that puzzlement.
Kennedy's campaign to bring more dignity and economic parity to the poorest members of our society earned him admiration. It's clear that Estevez shared that admiration and wanted to depict it through the movie's characters. However, by not showing how Kennedy's campaign, words, and especially his death inspired people to change, the viewer is left wondering what all the fuss is about. As a result, Bobby has to be seen as a disappointing attempt to portray the influence that one person and his death had on American society.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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utter disappointment
Added 10/21/2007
I couldn't watch this movie more than 30 minutes. I expected something totally different given the all star cast and glowing reviews on the case. The acting was horrible. It was like the actors decided, "I am going to play this this way" and had no regard for being part of a cast. The dialog was horrible. The actors had no relationship to one another (even in the same scene). But the worst part of it all was the hard to miss propoganda. I didn't want a social commentary on what is going on today. I don't want politics shoved down my throat. If I wanted to be part of a liberal dialog, I would listen to talk radio. I wanted to be entertained and this film failed miserably in doing that for so many reasons.
3 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Why America Hates Hollywood
Added 9/28/2009
Martin and Charlie Sheen are renowned for embarrassing themselves in public, and here the other Sheen boy, Emilio Estevez, steps up to the plate and -- knocks a foul ball way, way up into the bleachers!
Estevez wrote and directed this remarkably boneheaded movie, which attempts to memorialize the day Robert Kennedy was assassinated by -- trivializing the event, focusing on a bunch of fictitious characters playing out their cliched melodramas on that fateful day.
This movie unfolds like a REALLY bad episode of the "Love Boat" -- if the latter were the Titanic. It also reminded me of the dreadful Irwin Allen disaster movies of the seventies -- except that the only disaster on display here is the movie itself.
I kept expecting Shelly Winters to rise from the dead and take the proceedings here to a new level of camp, but instead a cast of actors I used to respect take the honors. Bill Macy, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins -- what were they thinking? I assume that they did indeed read this script before they agreed to take part...
This movie in large part explains why so many average Americans hate the rich, self-absorbed, and self-indulgent names in Hollywood when they choose to get involved in politics.
The only way I can recommend viewing this pretentious piece of twaddle is to follow the example of the two young characters in the film who drop acid. Perhaps the flick would inspire a few chuckles among those experiencing hallucinations.
Others should stay far, far away.
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politically correct 60's stereotypes and the roots of anti-americanism in the Democratic Party
Added 7/9/2009
This is a politically correct 60's stereotype. Today, young people are largely brain-washed and ignorant of historical facts. For the record, it was Eugene McCarthy who was the courageous Democratic candidate who challenged the Vietnam War. Bobby Kennedy only jumped into the race after McCarthy showed that an anti-war candidate was viable. Of course, with his name, he quickly eclipsed McCarthy. Bobby was assassinated by a Palestinian. JFK was assassinated by a Communist (Oswald). The affiliations of both killers have been largely forgotten and the crimes were attributed to the evil of America. These killings and the media interpretation put America on the path that it is still treading- toward oblivion.
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One of best films I have seen
Added 7/2/2009
I am surprized that most professional movie critics did not give this film higher ratings. Most of these critics take shortcuts. They watch the first half hour of the film, then go accross the street to have a drink or two, then come back for the last half hour of the film. You need to sit through this whole movie in its entirity in order to truly appreciate it. An unheard of 24 (or so) characters are protrayed in the film. No way can you understand all the characters by just watching the first and last half hours of the film.
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