Review of Jackie (2016) by Thomas D — 07 Jan 2017

Natalie Portman may very well win her second Oscar at the age of 35, which has to be close to the age Meryl Streep won her second. Her performance in Jackie is astounding and completely transforming. The movie as a whole is solid, but Portman is the biggest reason to see this in theaters.

Similar to Steve Jobs & Carol last year, Pablo Larraín used 16mm and 35mm film to transport you back to the 60's and give it that grainy stylish feel. And much like those aforementioned films, you are most certainly taken back to that time period. The movie isn't flawless but it succeeds immensely in Larraín's ability to establish the right production design, costumes, dialogue, and cinematography for that time period.

But let's talk about Portman. Sure, she's incredible in Black Swan and everyone loves her in her debut, Leon The Professional among other things, but she's not always the actress I gravitate towards when deciding to watch a movie or not. But Jackie once again establishes her as one of the best actresses working today. The way she commits to Jackie Kennedy's voice and mannerisms is unprecedented. That wasn't Natalie Portman acting, that was Jackie Kennedy. This film focuses solely on her husband's assassination and the events directly following, but it's absolutely Jackie's story. The whole movie rests on Portman's shoulders, and she delivers.

I think my only flaw I had was that at one point the film decides to take a graphically unnecessary approach to the real-life events. It's one thing if the whole film had taken that approach, but it doesn't. It's a relatively calm film, and they all of a sudden throw in some gratuitous gore. I had already felt Jackie's grief and sorrow, & was already invested in every scene up until that point. I didn't need to be shown The President's head be in pieces to be present in the car with Jackie.

Other than that, this is world class acting on display. Portman never veers into an over-the-top performance, which can happen with biopics, and the film is tightly written and directed. It knew what it wanted to tell and it succeeded in doing so. As much as I would love to see Emma Stone or Amy Adams take home the hardware, I think this is once again Portman's year.

+Complete transformation from Portman.

+Larraín's visual aesthetic.

+Poignancy.

-Slightly gratuitous scene.

8.3/10.