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Jackie (2016)
Director: Pablo Larraín
Writer: Noah Oppenheim
Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
About: The days immediately after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as seen through the eyes of his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Jackie deals with grief while trying to pay homage to her husband.
Review: From a director who's made movies you've probably never heard of, comes Jackie. A bio-pic that takes a lot of liberties and at times seems more like a tabloid magazine, than anything factual.
For a movie that takes place shortly after the assassination of JFK and covers the time frame up until his state funeral....there's not a lot going on here. That's partially because the director decided to tell his story instead of showing it. What we get is a reporter interviewing Jackie about the tragic events and we then learn about the inner workings of Jackie's mind and her time in the white house, by listening to her interview.
What I learned about Jackie was: she smoked too much, sounded like Marilyn Monroe, was controlling, self centered..and mostly I learned she was selfish...very selfish...being more concerned with herself than anyone else.
I love historical Bio Pics BTW, but if you want to see a stimulating and original look at the assassination of JFK watch Parkland (2013). Oh sure Jackie is filmed beautifully, but that only makes it all dressed up with no where to go.
But wait a minute! This movie did have something to say. In fact it had a LOT to say, only it was said in such a low key manner that if one isn't paying attention, the writer's agenda will be missed all together.
So what did the scriptwriter, who's a former president of NBC News and a noted conservative, Noah Oppenheim have to say?...His script touts the idea that John F Kennedy's presidency as Camelot, was a made up idea, fabricated by a selfish first lady, and that the only real legacy of JFK is whatever a media savvy Jackie constructed for her own vanity.
And the script tells us that JFK achieved nothing noteworthy in his presidency and unlike Lincoln who was sanctified as a great man after being assassinate...JFK would have been forgotten much like Presidents Garfield and McKinley have been...if it had not been for the self serving whims of Jackie.
One of the most blatant tabloid like scenes is where Jackie tells a priest that she planned an elaborate funeral for JFK...and confesses that grand funeral is not for JKF, and not for America, but only to make herself feel good. That's BS! a priest would never betray a private conversation and according to history the funeral was planned by Robert Sargent Shriver, Jackie's brother in law. The film makes Jackie out to be some type of egotistical individual who manipulated the media on the Kennedy's behalf.
Jackie (2016), is a professionally constructed right wing propaganda film. It's message is so subtly delivered, that it's absorbed rather than shoved into our faces. It's agenda film making at it's worse...The events that occurred after the assassination are being contorted by dialogue that history never recorded and so can never be substantiated. The story we are shown is 'off camera' moments, where the truth of the JFK presidency is coming from the mind of NBC news president Noah Oppenheim.
I'm giving this 1 popcorn rating and that's only for the stylish DVD cover.
Jackie (2016)
Writer: Noah Oppenheim
Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
About: The days immediately after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as seen through the eyes of his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Jackie deals with grief while trying to pay homage to her husband.
Review: From a director who's made movies you've probably never heard of, comes Jackie. A bio-pic that takes a lot of liberties and at times seems more like a tabloid magazine, than anything factual.
For a movie that takes place shortly after the assassination of JFK and covers the time frame up until his state funeral....there's not a lot going on here. That's partially because the director decided to tell his story instead of showing it. What we get is a reporter interviewing Jackie about the tragic events and we then learn about the inner workings of Jackie's mind and her time in the white house, by listening to her interview.
What I learned about Jackie was: she smoked too much, sounded like Marilyn Monroe, was controlling, self centered..and mostly I learned she was selfish...very selfish...being more concerned with herself than anyone else.
I love historical Bio Pics BTW, but if you want to see a stimulating and original look at the assassination of JFK watch Parkland (2013). Oh sure Jackie is filmed beautifully, but that only makes it all dressed up with no where to go.
But wait a minute! This movie did have something to say. In fact it had a LOT to say, only it was said in such a low key manner that if one isn't paying attention, the writer's agenda will be missed all together.
So what did the scriptwriter, who's a former president of NBC News and a noted conservative, Noah Oppenheim have to say?...His script touts the idea that John F Kennedy's presidency as Camelot, was a made up idea, fabricated by a selfish first lady, and that the only real legacy of JFK is whatever a media savvy Jackie constructed for her own vanity.
And the script tells us that JFK achieved nothing noteworthy in his presidency and unlike Lincoln who was sanctified as a great man after being assassinate...JFK would have been forgotten much like Presidents Garfield and McKinley have been...if it had not been for the self serving whims of Jackie.
One of the most blatant tabloid like scenes is where Jackie tells a priest that she planned an elaborate funeral for JFK...and confesses that grand funeral is not for JKF, and not for America, but only to make herself feel good. That's BS! a priest would never betray a private conversation and according to history the funeral was planned by Robert Sargent Shriver, Jackie's brother in law. The film makes Jackie out to be some type of egotistical individual who manipulated the media on the Kennedy's behalf.
Jackie (2016), is a professionally constructed right wing propaganda film. It's message is so subtly delivered, that it's absorbed rather than shoved into our faces. It's agenda film making at it's worse...The events that occurred after the assassination are being contorted by dialogue that history never recorded and so can never be substantiated. The story we are shown is 'off camera' moments, where the truth of the JFK presidency is coming from the mind of NBC news president Noah Oppenheim.
I'm giving this 1 popcorn rating and that's only for the stylish DVD cover.