Bobby (Widescreen) | DVD Review

In many respects it was the last great loss of a generation. June 6, 1968, the Ambassador Hotel, one lone gunman, one country pushed over the edge. Five years had seen the loss of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., entry into an unpopular war, and finally the loss of the last hope the American people had. Emilio Estevez was barely 6 years old that night, but the impact held him through his life. Bobby is the actor’s greatest step in the world of directing, and offers a riveting and brilliant glimpse into the last day of Robert Kennedy’s life. The all-star ensemble cast could never have been gathered by anyone of fewer calibers. His and his family’s experiences and knowledge of the world of Hollywood helped bring the story to life with warmth, excitement and believable portrayals. Like all historical dramas though, facts can get lost in plot. Bobby is no exception.

An incredibly personal venture from Estevez, the film took 3 years from concept to fruition, and attempts to capture the hope, anger, and confusion that gripped the U.S. in the late 1960s. Following the style of Robert Altman or Paul Thomas Anderson, Estevez penned the last day of Kennedy’s life into a microcosm of the conflicts and turmoil that gripped the nation. The characters represent virtually every class and race, and offer glimpses into everything from racism to politics, free love to family values. African-American head chef Edward (Laurence Fishburne) presiding over a kitchen staffed primarily by Mexican Americans who are the victims of the racist restaurant manager, Timmons (Christian Slater). Timmons is reprimanded by hotel manager Paul Ebbers (William H. Macy), who is having an affair with a switchboard operator (Heather Graham) behind the back of his beautician wife (Sharon Stone). Meanwhile, a young Diane (Lindsay Lohan) prepares to marry her classmate, William (Elijah Wood), in order to save him from going to Vietnam, and two collegiate campaigners for Senator Kennedy remove their ties to take their first LSD trip, courtesy of a resident hippie drug dealer (Ashton Kutcher).

Often the sheer volume of characters, and A-list celebs portraying them, is overwhelming. The plots and subplots Estevez included as a means to dramatize the grander mission of the film often serve only to muddy the waters. Taken as a whole however, and limiting the historical accuracy perspective, the film is brilliant in its delivery of drama, integration of newsreel footage with the modern actors, and the depth of the characters and storylines the director pulls off. Fortunately, Bobby is not as stiff as a strictly historic docudrama, but also never stoops to the level of an Oliver Stone conspiracy fest like JFK. By focusing on those around the Senator instead of the candidate himself, the film breaks away from possible relation to other political genre films such as Primary, Street Fight, or …So Goes the Nation.

The film was a critical success, garnering a nod for Best Picture and Best Original Song from the Golden Globes, as well as winning the Best Ensemble Cast at the Hollywood Film Festival. The film also gathered 5 other nominations for its cast, director and score. The critical acclaim didn’t translate as well into the box-office, running only 8 weeks in wide release and earning only $11 million.


The DVD release includes a Making Of featurette, containing interviews with the director and many of the all-star cast as they each share their own memories of the fateful night and their reasons for joining the project. The featurette also includes footage from the Ambassador Hotel itself which was demolished shortly after filming wrapped, along with details of the odyssey Estevez embarked on with the intense personal nature of the film. Additional features include interviews with eyewitnesses to the assassination and the theatrical trailer.

Bobby succeeds in the director’s goal of encapsulating not only a moment in history, but a society on the edge of its own destruction. Only through detail to storyline and a brilliant ensemble cast, was Estevez able to move forward from actor to award winning director. It seems the Brat Pack has grown up.

Movie rating – 4

Disc Rating – 4