Review of Parkland (2013) by Patrick L — 08 Feb 2014

"A lackluster docudrama that should have been a TV movie".

DVD Movie Review: Parkland.

Date Viewed: January 20 2014.

Directed By Peter Landesman.

Screenplay By Peter Landesman, Based on the book "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" by Vincent Bugliosi.

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Zac Efron, James Badge Dale, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks, Tom Welling, David Harbour, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Gil Bellows, Ron Livingston, Sean McGraw, Jeremy Strong, Mark Duplass, Rory Cochrane, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Glenn Morshower and Jackie Earle Haley.

"Parkland" is a historical drama that recreates the John F. Kennedy Assassination this time told in the point of view from a handful of individuals who are plunged into extraordinary circumstances on one of the darkest days in American history. The people who are plunged into these unfortunate circumstances are the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital, the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK's security team, a cameraman who captured the most infamous home movie in history, Dallas's chief of the Secret Service and the FBI agents who were visited by Lee Harvey Oswald before the tragic shooting.

Writer and Director Peter Landesman takes all of these ministories and puts them in the movie for no purpose whatsoever. "Parkland" could have been a great HBO miniseries but instead what we have here is a lackluster docudrama that should have been a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie. "Parkland" has a great cast but almost all of the actors have nothing to do.

"Parkland" does have beautiful photography and good performances from James Badge Dale (who plays Lee Harvey Oswald's brother) and Paul Giamatti (who plays Abraham Zapruder) but this movie turns the Kennedy Assassination into "this happened and this happened and this happened and this happened". Zac Efron is miscast here as the doctor who tries to save Kennedy and "Silver Linings Playbook" Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver gives an awful performance playing Lee Harvey Oswald's mother who believes that her son was framed.

Also wasted in this film is Billy Bob Thornton playing a Secret Service agent, Marcia Gay Harden playing Parkland Hospital's head nurse, Ron Livingston playing FBI agent James P. Hosty and Jackie Earle Haley playing a priest in one scene. "Parkland" has too many characters and too many storylines all trying to fit together in a 93 minute movie and it fails.

"Parkland" turns one of America's greatest tragedies into a crushing bore.