Jackie

•             R
•             Drama/Biography
•             US Release:  December 2, 2016
•             Runtime:  1 hour 35 minutes
•             Directed by Pablo Larrain
•             Written by Noah Oppenheim
•             Starring Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Greta Gerwig
•             Grade:                         C+
•                                       It’s debatable!

 

Jackie is set in the 1960s, in the immediate aftermath of JFK’s assassination, and follows First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) as she struggles with the loss of her husband, the upheaval of her world, and her determination to salvage something positive for her husband’s legacy. The film revolves around an interview Jackie is giving to a reporter (Billy Crudup) a week after the assassination, and as the interview unfolds we are given sequences in real time to aid in our understanding of how Jackie coped with events.

I truly wanted to love this movie. I tried. I really did.

This movie is, essentially, a character study. Jackie is a film with great directing and an outstanding performance by Natalie Portman, one of the best of the year. Her scenes with Billy Crudup and John Hurt, in particular, are intricate and compelling, and I was impressed by Portman’s complex approach to a woman struggling to maintain outward decorum while emotional chaos reigned inside. To some degree, she is simply mimicking the real Jackie, but that is genuine pain in her eyes. I also enjoyed how well the film recaptures the 60s with its incredible set and costume designs.

Unfortunately, the script is rather bland, and I struggled to remain interested. At several points, I glanced at my watch to see how much longer until the film ended, and that’s never a good sign, especially for a movie that is only 95 minutes long. I damn near fell asleep midway through the picture. It came across far too often as a dry trot through history, and that surprised me considering the time period in question. The filmmakers decided to recreate iconic moments of the time, which wasn’t really all that interesting, while also failing to reveal much of Jackie’s character, which definitely would have been interesting.

All in all, I think this is a movie worth seeing, but don’t expect an action thrill-fest or conspiracy intrigue about the assassination. This has all the feel of a historical documentary with better-than-average History channel actors playing their parts. Jackie is, however, a chance to watch Natalie Portman give one of the best performances of her career.

That’s really it, unfortunately.