Bobby (Full Screen Edition) | 
| Actors: Harry Belafonte, Gene Borkan, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Helen Hunt
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $1.11
You Save: $13.84 (93%)
New (50) Used (51) from $1.11
Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 28383
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 79931
UPC: 796019799317
EAN: 0796019799317
ASIN: B000MEYJHY
Theatrical Release Date: November 23, 2006
Release Date: April 10, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Movie DVD
Amazon.com
In the final quarter or so of Bobby, writer-director-actor Emilio Estevez finally starts tightening his grip on the viewer as we head inexorably toward the film's climax: the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen. In the course of these scenes--among them Kennedy's acceptance speech after winning the California Democratic presidential primary (the senator is seen only in file footage), his death at the hands of gunman Sirhan Sirhan, and the chaos and despair that ensued--Estevez steadily ratchets up the sense of tension and dread. Knowing exactly what's coming, while the characters onscreen don't, is excruciating, as is our grief at hearing RFK's own words, so eloquent, so hopeful and inspiring, as we watch the horrible events unfold and wonder what might have been (sure it's manipulative--but it works). But the rest of Bobby isn't nearly as compelling. Nor is it really about Kennedy, despite its obvious adulation of the man whom many thought would defeat Richard Nixon in the '68 general election. In the tradition of, say, an Irwin Allen disaster flick, we're invited into the lives of nearly two dozen folks, most of them at least partly fictional, who were at the Ambassador Hotel that June day, including guests, staff (kitchen workers, switchboard operators, management, etc.), campaign workers, reporters, and more. There are lots of movie stars in the cast, and some of them (Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy) are very good. But caring about the quotidian minutiae of these people's existences is a chore, and Estevez crams so many issues into his story (the Vietnam war, drugs, alcoholism, voting irregularities, adultery, racism, immigration, communism… even L.A. Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale's streak of consecutive shutouts) and tries so obviously to establish parallels between then and now that too much of the movie feels gratuitous and forced. A warts-and-all film about Robert Kennedy's extraordinary life and career would be welcome. Unfortunately, Bobby isn't it. --Sam Graham
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 A ghastly caricature of the '60s April 11, 2009
Mystery/suspense lover (New Hampshire)
As a person who remembers Bobby Kennedy's assassination as if it happened yesterday, I was awed by how bad a movie this turned out to be. Comprised of an unrelated series of nonsensical stories, the movie failed miserably at depicting the true look and feel of the late sixties. Even its all-star cast failed to give this production an inkling of credibility. At best it was like watching a high school level play, with costumes straight out of a box labeled "the hippie years," and phony dialogue that made me cringe. The only redeeming features of this badly produced and poorly written film were the actual footage of the era, and the beautiful and poignant speeches of Bobby Kennedy. This production was a dud to the tenth power.
 MOVIE REVIEW December 30, 2008
SUSAN TUCKER (COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA United States)
This movie was pretty good in the fact that it gave some historic information about the day Bobby Kennedy died. I had wanted to see it and couldn't find it for rental anywhere. Amazon always has what I want.
 Excellent movie April 21, 2008
Gabrielle Janik (Sydney, Australia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Emelio Estevez did an excellent job with this movie. It showed how Bobby Kennedy affected the lives of people. It was good how he put the various footage of Bobby Kennedy's campaign trail in the movie as well. As I was only a wee baby at the time, it was excellent to see.
 Incorrect Focus Cheapens Noble Intention December 1, 2007
Michael Lima (Fresno, California USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Prior to watching Bobby, I knew that the movie was about a group of people that were present when Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was assassinated. Thus, I thought the movie would be a portrayal of how Kennedy's death affected their lives. Instead, the movie was a (somewhat) fictionalized depiction of how these people spent the day of Kennedy's assassination, ending with the assassination itself. Consequently, my reaction to the movie was one of confusion and disappointment.
I wouldn't have had the reaction that I did had two elements in the movie been different. First, Emilio Estevez inserted actual newsreel footage and recordings of Kennedy's speeches throughout the movie. These insertions leave the viewer with the thought that Kennedy's words made an impression on people. Thus, it is confusing why Estevez would take the time to include these words when he doesn't show the impact of them. This flaw directly influences the other item of weakness in the movie: the characters themselves. By presenting such a large group of characters (both campaign staff and those not associated with the campaign), Estevez seems to imply that Kennedy was affecting a broad spectrum of society. However, by implying and not completing that connection, the viewer is left wondering why these people's stories are important to follow. The fact that the movie ends without continuing the cast's stories just heightens that puzzlement.
Kennedy's campaign to bring more dignity and economic parity to the poorest members of our society earned him admiration. It's clear that Estevez shared that admiration and wanted to depict it through the movie's characters. However, by not showing how Kennedy's campaign, words, and especially his death inspired people to change, the viewer is left wondering what all the fuss is about. As a result, Bobby has to be seen as a disappointing attempt to portray the influence that one person and his death had on American society.
utter disappointment October 21, 2007
taaj (VA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I couldn't watch this movie more than 30 minutes. I expected something totally different given the all star cast and glowing reviews on the case. The acting was horrible. It was like the actors decided, "I am going to play this this way" and had no regard for being part of a cast. The dialog was horrible. The actors had no relationship to one another (even in the same scene). But the worst part of it all was the hard to miss propoganda. I didn't want a social commentary on what is going on today. I don't want politics shoved down my throat. If I wanted to be part of a liberal dialog, I would listen to talk radio. I wanted to be entertained and this film failed miserably in doing that for so many reasons.
|
|
|
