BOBBY

"Ladies and Gentlemen..."

June 6th, 1968, the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles prepares for the arrival of Robert F. Kennedy as he waits to see if he has been nominated as the Democratic party's presidential candidate. As the anticipation of his arrival grows, the staff of the hotel prepare, a singer gets ready of her last performance of the season, a young couple are about to get married, a marriage falls apart, an affair ends, drugs are discovered and lives are changed for ever. None of them will forget this day.

Emilio Estevez gathers together all his friends to tell a collection of stories but can this all-star cast do justice to the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy?

A huge star in the 1980s and one of the founders of the notorious 'Brat Pack', Emilio Estevez never really continued his success through the 90s, unlike his fellow stars from the era like Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Keifer Sutherland and his brother Charlie Sheen, starring in movies like 'The Mighty Ducks' franchise and 'Loaded Weapon 1'. Now he has turned his hand to directing, refining his skills on hit TV shows like 'CSI: NY', 'Cold Case' and 'Close to Home' before stepping behind the camera again for a motion picture that should have had the critics swooning and the awards flowing. Unfortunately there is something not quite there about 'Bobby'.

Set on June 6th, 1968, the day of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, Estevez writes and directs a movie spotlighting the people and characters of the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles, the place were the incident took place. As the people headed to the polls to vote for the presidential candidates, the hotel prepared for the Senator's arrival and its residents and staff went about their personal and work business. Here we see the interactions of the hotel staff, the coming together of a young couple in marriage to save a young man from war, the end of an affair, the end of a marriage, an anniversary, a career coming to an end and a moment of kindness that will change an opinion on how good people can actually be. A collection of stories set around such a historical event should have provided the backdrop for an award friendly film that could have become an historical epic. Unfortunately none of the characters and situations are engaging enough for you to make any real connection with them.

This takes nothing away from the performances of a truly astonishing all-star cast. From the always outstanding William H. Macy, Laurence Fishburne and Helen Hunt, to the up and coming young starlets such as Lindsey Lohan, Elijah Wood, Shia LaBeouf, Nick Cannon and Freddy Rodríguez and then throw in screen legends like Harry Belafonte, Anthony Hopkins and Martin Sheen and you have a great cast. Estevez has also called in many of his friends such as Demi Moore, Sharon Stone and Christian Slater to add even more established names to the already heady list. Each of them brings their A-game to their characters but it is Estevez's script that lets them down. There are just too many characters here for many of the to really make an impact and with the movie set over the period of one day, little of the background of each character is revealed making you not invest enough time in some of them to get the most out of each character.

'Bobby' is a movie that should have been longer to allow you to have more time to invest in the characters. By having so many character stories going on at once and none of them getting enough screen time to give you the chance to really invest in them as we head to the inevitable conclusion. This is a project with too much ambition and one definitely made with winning awards in mind. Emilio Estevez has to be appalled for gathering together such and impressive cast however and trying to tell a story of a momentous day in American history but you can't help thinking that he would have been better off making a biopic about Robert F. Kennedy himself and not one about fictional and factual characters that you don't really get the chance to know.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Bobby: The Making of a Hollywood Epic (28.30 mins)
Writer/director Emilio Estevez, production designer Patti Podesta, composer Mark Isham, author 'Robert Kennedy: The Life', songwriter Bryan Adams, singers Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige and stars Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodríguez, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood and Martin Sheen talk about the making of 'Bobby'. The featurette covers the development of the stories, the mix of fictional and factual characters, the Ambassador hotel, the costumes, the look and the music of the movie. It also looks at the life and times of Robert F. Kennedy and the legacy he left in the US.

Eye Witness Accounts from the Ambassador Hotel
A panel of experts, witnesses and one victim of the shooting come together to recall that fateful night and talk about what Bobby Kennedy was actually like and what he could have done of the country if he had not been assassinated. They also talk about his campaign, his approach to politics and his polices that would have changed America for the better.

Theatrical Trailer
Watch the cinema preview that showcased the movie before its release

Trailers
Previews of 'Breaking and Entering', 'Factory Girl', 'Miss Potter' and 'Shut up & Sing'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment of 'Bobby' is good, with a featurette covering most aspects of the film's production and the fascinating interviews with the people from the time who knew the senator and witnesses his campaign and assassination. A commentary track would have been a welcome addition however but fans should be pleased with this package.

DVD

JFK

Thirteen Days

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2007