I really didn’t expect a lot from Bobby. After all, it was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. Yes, that Emilio Estevez—the guy who played Coach Gordon in the highly-acclaimed Mighty Ducks series (tongue firmly planted in cheek). Really. So you can see why I didn’t go into this film expecting a whole lot, but Maria assured me that it was good and, as it turns out like in most all things, she was right.
Bobby follows the assassination of JFK’s brother, the U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. What’s interesting about this film is that it doesn’t center around the assassination but rather the people in the hotel, in the ball room that night, and the stories of their lives. It’s more a story of the hotel than the assassination, and that’s neat. Think of a movie like Crash and if you haven’t seen that film, well then drop everything. It’s neat, because you don’t even meet Bobby until, let’s say, the very end of the film. The real cast of characters is everyone from the Hotel Manager, brilliantly acted by William H. Macy, to a retired Hotel greeter grieving the death of his wife, to a pair of Kennedy campaign volunteers who spend their days skipping campaign work to dink around, to a washed-up alcoholic diva and her long-suffering husband.
Truly though, this film was a surprise hit. It’s so well done. The cast of characters is so interesting and diverse; their stories are truly intriguing and really pull you in. At times, you laugh your face off—particularly when the young and outrageously naive volunteer campaigners are roped into dropping acid—and at other times you’ll cry or wring your hands in frustration. There are so many interesting stories here. Eventually, the stories begin to intertwine and weave together and that too is done very expertly. You may say to yourself, like I said to myself, Emilio? I didn’t know he had it in him.
And if that wasn’t enough I have to give significant props to the cinematography. It’s brilliant. It’s unique, it’s different, and Estevez tries stuff that’s down right interesting with his cameras. Instead of standing still they move, they feel organic and very present in a film that’s supposed to be ramping up the excitement and the tension as the night drags on. I like it!
Oh, and if you’re wondering, Lindsay Lohan sucked but she doesn’t ruin the movie, I promise.
All in all, I was truly surprised, in the best possible way, by Bobby. It’s good, truly and deeply good and I can only say that I hope Emilio Estevez, our beloved Coach Gordon, keeps ‘em coming. This movie is a real winner. Gord, I’ll be watching.
oh my goodness I love this movie… it makes me cry every time. And it makes me think that history repeats its self. When I watch it I can’t help but notice all the parallels between what is happening at that time and what is going on in the US today.
Emilioooooooooooooooooooooo!
I really truly did not like this movie!! haha, I guess good to get an opposing opinion. I had high hopes for it, and wanted to see it for a long time. I found it to be extremely hollow, almost every character wanting to be in a retro movie about the 60′s…i.e. the hair, the clothes, the glasses…but knowing nothing about the subtleties of an era or even a year. I think the idea of the movie was bang on, the structure of the plot was a great idea, but I thought it fell flat in every sense. After watching Mad men, also set in the 60′s, which is beautifully done, and deeply connects with the politics, culture and people of the time, Bobby was not well executed or thought out. anyways, great reading all your reviews keith! Im sure I will get through most of them soon!