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BOBBY Send This Review to a Friend
Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, “Bobby,” prominent at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, has a kind of “Grand Hotel” story that unfolds on the day of Bobby Kennedy’s murder. It examines the status and trajectory of various characters connected with the hotel and how they are affected. The powerful cast highlighted by some strong, fascinating performances includes William H. Macy, Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Lindsay Lohan and Elijah Wood. Sharon Stone particularly distinguishes herself.
Apart from recalling the tragedy, “Bobby” has importance as a reminder of how different America and the world might have been had Kennedy lived to become president. He was on a roll in the wake of Lyndon Johnson having stepped aside as a result of the misbegotten Vietnam War. He had just won the California Democratic primary and was due at the Ambassador Hotel, scene of the drama, to celebrate victory.
The film sadly reminds us of the promise that existed and the youthful enthusiasm and hope engendered by Kennedy’s campaign. One views the film aware of the absence of such enthusiasm and optimism now, and in that sense, “Bobby” is making a strong statement that surmounts the drama built around the character assortment even though the drama is striking on its own terms. The film is extremely well made, with the weaving of fiction and fact into a dynamic, suspenseful tour de force.
Stone plays Miriam, the hotel hairdresser and wife of the hotel manager, Paul Ebbers, and Stone makes a profound impression as a woman who knows that her husband has a mistress and is deeply hurt. William H. Macy gives a strong performance as Ebbers, with Heather Graham as switchboard operator Angela, who is counting on her relationship with Ebbers to elevate her. Demi Moore has a showy role as singer Virginia Fallon, who drowns her woes in alcohol, with writer/director Estevez tripling as her husband Tim.
“Bobby,” although presented in a contemporary style, carries with it the old-fashioned aura of a big movie laden with stars in large parts and small. The climactic moments reveal how some of the characters were swept up in the violence. But all of this serves mainly to build toward the tragic event itself and what it meant for the country. A Weinstein Company release.
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