• Movie Preview •

Bobby revisits the night Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. With an incredible ensemble cast portraying fictionalized characters from a cross-section of America, the film follows 22 individuals who are all at the hotel for different purposes but share the common thread of anticipating Kennedy’s arrival at the primary election night party, which would change their lives forever. This historic night is set against the backdrop of the cultural issues gripping the country at the time, including racism, sexual inequality and class differences.

One of the best films of the year, Bobby is downright profound. Though some conservatives may have feared that this was just a tribute to a member of the Democratic party, such is not the case. Kind of a Grand Hotel built around the ideals of R.F.K.’s bid for his party’s presidential candidacy, the story(ies) concern(s) the lives of famous and non, each character caught up in a revolutionary era of change. As for the salute to the Democratic party, keep in mind it was a very different party, with a much different agenda back in the ‘60s. John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” That’s not exactly the motto of either party nowadays. In the film, Robert is heard gently rebuking people in our nation for not helping their fellow Americans. He saw great need here, with many people struggling with poverty and ignorance. Today, both parties seem more determined to help other countries before caring for their own citizenry.

There is a scene with Laurence Fishburne as a chef in the hotel restaurant that is one of the best written and revealing I can remember ever viewing on film. I won’t give it away, but it has to do with how prejudice can be defeated in our country. Very moving. While Mr. Fishburne is only a member of an ensemble, it being a small part at that, his performance is filled with dignity, strength and wisdom. The part is both well written and acted with a subtlety only a great actor can generate.

A word must also be said about the film’s writer/director, Emilio Estevez. I hope his past association with a group of actors known as the Brat Pack won’t stick in the minds of those who vote for awards. Here are some descriptions that come to mind when assessing his work here: exuberant, erudite, with a passionate visual and narrative drive. He has done a job filled with heart, a heart obviously pounding with a desire that justice and goodness be restored to the political scene.

A few years back I was able to visit the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. On a Saturday night, 11:45 p.m., I stood alone, looking up at Mr. Lincoln. I remember thinking as I descended those steps, “How could a politician stand before this memorial and not be moved to do his best?” Evidently, many of them don’t go there. The film in its subtle way reminds us that while we once had the likes of Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan in the main office, now we seem to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Distributor: MGM