Jackie

Starring: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant, John Carroll Lynch
Directed by: Pablo Larrain
Rating: R
Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) struggles with grief after her husband is assassinated.

Review:

Tim: I love the idea of doing a film that focuses on Jackie Kennedy, as opposed to her famous husband. We all know the story of the JFK assassination, but we haven't really explored what it was like for Mrs. Kennedy in the aftermath of that tragic event. This movie picks up that thread and follows it. It tells a story that jumps back-and-forth through time a bit, but it reveals a good amount about Jackie, her family, and what it was like in the wake of the assassination. I appreciated that this film shed light on that period. In the end, I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't nearly as good as I would have hoped.

The biggest reason to see this film is the performance of Natalie Portman. She's made some more commercial choices as of late, so in some ways, this film felt like a "Hey, don't forget that Portman is truly a great actress" kind of film. She so incredibly inhabits this person, it was occasionally eerie to watch this film. It truly felt like we were watching Jackie Kennedy, not Natalie Portman. It's no surprise at all that Portman received one of the film's three Academy Award nominations- hers for Best Actress. It truly is a remarkable performance.

The rest of the cast is very strong as well. I loved Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kennedy. Sarsgaard is a perennially underrated actor, and he turns in a fine performance as the man who would be President. I loved his interactions with Portman. They worked really well together and their dynamic was great fun to watch on screen. Billy Crudup was also excellent in a small role as the journalist interviewing Jackie. While his scenes really act as gateways to the other sequences that make up the bulk of the film, in some ways, the personal, one-on-one interactions give us the most insight into this person. His performance was delivered in small doses, but every one counted. I also loved seeing John Hurt in a small supporting role- he's a great actor and so he works wonders with his small screen time. It's sad to think this was his final film, but he did a remarkable job closing out his career. It was also fun to see the inspired casting of John Carroll Lynch as LBJ. Really, across the board, the film did a fantastic job of finding great actors who could pull off playing these very famous people.

Now, one complaint I had was wondering whether this movie was really necessary. Yes, it shed new light on Mrs. Kennedy, but it just felt like this time period has been done to death in movies. Did we really need another new movie about the Kennedys? Normally I would say no, but this movie was good enough that I eventually submitted. Still, it took a lot of convincing. I also never felt really engaged with these characters. Some of that may have been by design, if they were trying to portray Jackie realistically. I simply struggled to identify with her throughout this film. I know her husband died, but I wanted a deeper understanding of her as a human being. The film delivers in this small flashes, but not nearly as strongly as it needed to. As a result, there's too many moments that feel like they drag in this film. The whole back-and-forth about the funeral march felt like it took way too long, without providing quite enough insight (other than it was hard to make that call). There was a bunch of back-and-forth about how she'd remember her time in the White House, Camelot, and all that. I don't know, I suppose I found it interesting, but not truly compelling.

I know this film was designed as an intimate character study and it mostly pulls that off. I still just struggled in too many moments to find the film engaging. It was fine, I was never completely bored, but it simply did not deliver the emotional or intellectual punch it needed. Jackie is a good movie- it's well made and it features a great performance by Portman. However, the film around her didn't quite live up to the bar she set.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: JFK, Thirteen Days, The American President