Review of Bobby (2006) by Markb. — 08 Jan 2007

If I were Catholic, I'd probably have to go to confession for feeling this way, but given that this film deals with one of the most pivotal national tragedies of the 20th century, it's amazing how much fun it is to watch! Let's get the bad news out of the way first: writer-director-costar Emilio Estevez (whose metamorphosis from his previous directorial efforts Wisdom and Men at Work to this is comparable to the contents of my cat's litter box transforming themselves into the Hope Diamond) in his earnestness in depicting the climate and times surrounding Presidential hopeful Bobby Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968, tries too hard to draw too many parallels between then and now; discussions of unpopular wars, racial unrest and immigration issues are certainly as pertinent now as then, but the movie's infamous "hanging chad" speech redefines heavyhandedness.

No matter: Estevez's Grand Hotel-like personal dramas dealing with various individuals working at or visiting the Ambassador on the fateful day are extremely watchable and enjoyably acted by his energetic and committed all-star cast.

There are many moments, such as philosopher/chef Laurence Fishburne's rousing dissertations on homemade pie recipes and King Arthur, or a heartbreaking and still timely conversation between Demi Moore and Sharon Stone on how women become second-class citizens once they reach a certain age (and sadly, those two should know) when Bobby ascends from being a terrific guilty pleasure to a just plain terrific movie, period.

Snide comments about Estevez making an Irwin Allen movie with the assassination filling in as the disaster don't fly because the death doesn't occur until the last 20 minutes and the rest of the film deals with people who, unless they're directly involved in Kennedy's campaign, are naturally much less concerned with it than with their own lives and relationships.

Estevez, using relevant quotes from Bobby himself, reminds us of a very simple pair of truths that even historians tend to forget: that an assassin's bullets frequently strike innocent bystanders as well as the intended target, and that their lives are just as precious.

And on a far less profound, Entertainment Tonight level, you've got to admire a movie star who's such a good sport that he casts both his former significant other (Moore) and her present lover (Ashton Kutcher, who's absolutely--and intentionally--hilarious as a spaced-out hippie), and such a good son that he gives his dad (Martin Sheen) the most overtly romantic role in his movie.

Given that Tom Hanks and Ron Howard recently committed the sadistic crime of subjecting us all to their excruciating yawnfest The Da Vinci Code, Estevez is in a good position, at least temporarily, to snatch their mantle as The Nicest Guy In Hollywood.