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Bobby Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for language, drug content and a scene of violence) Genre: Drama, Historical Theater release: November 17, 2006 by The Weinstein Company Directed by: Emilio Estevez Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes Cast: Anthony Hopkins (John Casey), William H. Macy (Paul Ebbers), Sharon Stone (Miriam Ebbers), Christian Slater (Timmons), Freddy Rodriguez (Jose), Jacob Vargas (Miguel), Laurence Fishburne (Edward), Demi Moore (Virginia Fallon), Emilio Estevez (Tim Fallon), Shia LaBeouf (Cooper), Brian Geraghty (Jimmy), Ashton Kutcher (Fisher), Svetlana Metkina (Lenka Janacek), Martin Sheen (Jack Stevens), Helen Hunt (Samantha Stevens), Lindsay Lohan (Diane), Elijah Wood (William), Joshua Jackson (Wade) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

Another election year, another Kennedy movie. Six years ago, when lawyers for Al Gore and George W. Bush were debating the finer points of interpreting dangling chads, Thirteen Days—a riveting dramatization of John F. Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962—came out and reminded us how critically important the right kind of leader could be in an unforeseen moment of crisis. Now comes Bobby, a look at the guests and employees who were at the Ambassador Hotel on the night of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination there in June 1968.

It is tempting to wish that Steven Culp, the actor who gave such a remarkable Bobby Kennedy impression in Thirteen Days, had been brought back for this one; after all, six years have gone by in the real world, just as the new film takes place six years after the earlier one! Instead, writer-director Emilio Estevez maintains a reverential distance from his title character, depicting him only through news footage and audio recordings. Kennedy himself is never integrated into the drama—except for the climactic moments at the hotel, when all we see of him are brief looks at the back of a stand-in's head, like the non-depictions of Jesus in 1950s Bible dramas.

Emilio Estevez directs Christian Slater

It is clear from the opening and closing credits that Estevez, who was only six years old when Kennedy was shot, wants to depict Kennedy as a sort of savior; Bobby is important to this film not as a human being, but as a symbol of hope cut down in his prime. We are told that he had the power to heal the racial divide, to bring about peace, and no doubt many people saw him that way and still see him that way.

And yet, one cannot help but wonder whether Bobby Kennedy's political life would have turned out like that. I think of how The Queen depicts the huge popularity of Tony Blair after he was elected Prime Minister of Great Britain—and how Blair coincidentally was forced out of power right around the time that film came out. And while no one would say that Bush came into power with that kind of status, it is worth noting how the recent congressional elections reflected an increased disenchantment with his own presidency, even among conservatives. So if Kennedy had indeed become President of the United States, he might have been the answer to everyone's prayers—but he could just as easily have let them down.

Laurence Fishburne and Freddy Rodriquez as kitchen employees

Savior figure? What about his disciples? This is where the film's real drama lies—or should I say dramas, plural. The film is a far-flung, wide-ranging, intricately woven ensemble piece boasting a cast of dozens, in which the hotel serves as a microcosm of the very American society that Kennedy aims to lead.

Let's start with the employees. The kitchen itself is a cauldron of racial tensions: it is managed by a white man named Timmons (Christian Slater), who is prone to making culturally inappropriate comments; the head chef is a black man named Robinson (Laurence Fishburne), whose stated views on race relations may or may not match his actions; and many of the staff are Latino, at least one of whom (Jacob Vargas) is very vocal about the advantages that both whites and blacks enjoy, as he sees it.

In contrast to the youthful agitation in the kitchen, we also see a couple of older men—one white (Anthony Hopkins) and one black (Harry Belafonte)—who meet at the hotel for games of chess, bouts of nostalgia, and gentle ribbing. Hopkins, who is also one of the film's executive producers, offers an interesting study in particular of a man who was once so defined by his work that he cannot think of anything better to do with his free time now than to fantasize that he is still on the payroll.

Elijah Wood and Lindsay Lohan as a young couple about to be married

Other vignettes explore the place of women in American society at that time—and it is striking to consider that a few of these characters are played by actresses whose careers stalled around the time they turned 40, which in its own way may reflect how Hollywood continues to treat its male and female stars rather differently.

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