Bobby : A glimpse into the tragedy.

I enjoyed it. In fact, I was so engrossed by it, I don't think I moved for the entire two hours.

I'm talking about Bobby, Emilio Estevez's movie depicting one fateful day that changed the lives of many people forever.

The movie is about June 5, 1968, the day Senator Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in L.A. The movie doesn't just talk about the assassination, it tries to show you a slice of life. By spending most of the time focusing on the "everyday people" hanging around the hotel that day, you are treated to a glimpse of life in the 60's. The good, and the bad.

With a huge star-filled cast, you'll meet a nice couple enjoying their vacation (Martin Sheen and Helen Hunt), two young kids getting married for the sole purpose of keeping the groom out of Vietnam (Lindsay Lohan and Elijah Wood), a lounge singer diva and her husband (Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez), some immigrant kitchen workers hoping for a better life and their manager (Christian Slater) who doesn't think they deserve a whole lot better, the manager's boss (William H. Macy) and his wife (Sharon Stone) and his mistress (Heather Graham), the cook (Laurence Fishburne), two doormen from the hotel (Harry Belafonte and Anthony Hopkins), some kids who blow off work and try acid for the first time (Shia LaBeouf and Brian Geraghty), and the guy who gives them the acid (Ashton Kutcher).

Phew! I think I remembered them all. Obviously with this many characters, you don't get to know a whole lot about them, but the movie gives us enough of a glimpse into each of them that they stop being faces in a crowd and become people we "know". It's not clear, at first, how or if any of them will interact with the main storyline, but it all becomes clear at the end.

Throughout the movie, a sense of hope and optimism comes shining through. The people are really looking forward - to change, for the better. For a better life, a more cohesive country.

Sadly, while you're watching all of these people and learning about their lives, and seeing their hopes, you know what's going to happen by the end of the day.

Interestingly, except for small, momentary glimpses of a man, you don't actually see anyone playing the Senator. His part in the movie mainly takes place via actual footage from his campaign and his many inspirational speeches. This was an interesting technique. The footage blends in well enough that it doesn't look out of place, but I can't help but wonder how the movie would have played, if they'd re-enacted the speeches with an actor, instead of splicing in footage.

The actual assassination is at the very end of the movie, and it is horrible to watch. Even though we all knew it was coming, we still stared right at that screen in horror. I was surprised (but not necessarily disappointed) that Sirhan Sirhan is shown only very briefly (entering the hotel, and then in the final scene) and never given any background at all. This movie does nothing to examine his motives, or his life. My guess is that Estevez didn't want to dignify this man by giving him any attention at all. And he certainly didn't want to try to lend sympathy to his motives. Like I said, I'm not necessarily disappointed in Estevez's decision, just surprised. I went into the movie expecting to be shown something about his background, and his motives.

My only complaint with the movie is that I wanted more information about what happened after the assassination. I wanted to see the effects that day had on the American citizens. Not only the characters we'd spent the last two hours getting to know, several of whom were wounded, but of all the citizens. How were their lives changed? How did the culture in America change that day? Obviously, I know a lot of these answers just by understanding the history, but I would have liked the movie to have delved into it. Instead, the credits start rolling and I'm left feeling sad and at a loss.

Still, this is a powerful movie that I enjoyed immensely. I think Estevez did a great job pulling together a terrific cast and presenting this tragedy in a way that captivates the viewer.


Happy I get to celebrate my 3-year Epiversary - and my 400th review - by reviewing such a terrific movie.