Bobby

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

On June 4, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy had just won the California Democratic primary for President when he was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Using this bellwether event in American politics, writer, director, and co-star Emilio Estevez brings his career back from the dead to craft an unforgettable movie experience, one that oddly takes its lead from disaster pictures like Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Like those formula films, we get to meet all sorts of people brought together in one place and soon to be united in a common tragedy. This time, instead of a burning building or an overturned ship, it's the senseless murder of a man who stood for significant change in the country that brings a disparate group of hotel employees and guests together on that fateful night. By cutting back and forth to their individual stories, we get to know them and to see how random violence can touch anyone's life. The outstanding all-star cast shines right down to the smallest part and includes Sharon Stone, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Shia LaBeouf, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Freddy Rodriguez and many more. Kennedy, however, is seen only thru skillfully blended newsreel footage, but his impact is tremendous, especially in a speech about violence played over a montage of the tragic events taking place. Some of the segments are superfluous and a bit over the top, but the emotional, heartfelt and inspirational tone Estevez gives Bobby trumps the weak points, helping it emerge as one of the year's best pictures.