Following the death of his brother John, Robert Kennedy is forced to rise to the challenge of leading his country and carrying on his brother's vision of what America could be.Following the death of his brother John, Robert Kennedy is forced to rise to the challenge of leading his country and carrying on his brother's vision of what America could be.Following the death of his brother John, Robert Kennedy is forced to rise to the challenge of leading his country and carrying on his brother's vision of what America could be.
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As someone who grew up in the 1960s, remembers Robert F. Kennedy and admires the things he stood for, I looked forward to FX's "RFK" only to be thoroughly disappointed. While the lead actor was acceptable in his portrayal, the script itself was disappointing and shallow. It may be asking too much to expect a two-hour production (minus commercials) to do justice to the life of an extraordinary man. But if someone attempts to do precisely that, he needs to narrow his focus better. None of the major events received the in-depth attention they deserved, and some important events were overlooked entirely. Kennedy's speech to the Democratic National Convention less than a year after his brother's assassination was a poignant and extremely significant moment in his life and career, yet it received no attention in the film. With JFK's ghostly presence occupying such an important role in the film, shouldn't this event have been included -- even if it meant deleting an obviously fictitious event, like the scene in which Bobby leaps into the water to rescue his brother's jacket? Young viewers who want to learn more about this great American should not waste their time watching this film. There are better options out there!
After using IMDb for over 7 years, this is my first comment... I'm a huge RFK fan (even though I'm only 25). I think he's the greatest democrat of the last century, and the world would be a vastly different place had his life not been abruptly ended.
That said, I thought this movie was horrible. There were a few good moments, but overall it was terrible. It portrayed RFK as someone who hallucinated about his brother all the time, and as someone who needed to be pressured into doing the right thing.
The man gave some of the greatest speeches ever written, and the actor did not do most of those speeches justice. If you really want to know who RFK was, I'd suggest watching documentaries on the history channel. The real footage is so much better than this movie, and its more entertaining.
That said, I thought this movie was horrible. There were a few good moments, but overall it was terrible. It portrayed RFK as someone who hallucinated about his brother all the time, and as someone who needed to be pressured into doing the right thing.
The man gave some of the greatest speeches ever written, and the actor did not do most of those speeches justice. If you really want to know who RFK was, I'd suggest watching documentaries on the history channel. The real footage is so much better than this movie, and its more entertaining.
This depiction of the life and times of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is a good effort at capturing the essence of the man who might have been the 37th president, however I do believe that the overuse of John Kennedy's shadow throughout this film detracted somewhat from the story. Robert Kennedy did indeed feel the weight of his late brother's legacy after 1963, and the film is correct in showing this, however I would suggest that by 1966-1967, RFK had truly become his own person and the extensive use of JFK's shadow really serves no purpose other than to distract and even annoy. Performances are good overall, but I would agree with others that this film would've been better had it come out shortly after the 1968 assassination.
A whole lot better than most made-for-TV projects. This bio-pic focuses on the life of Robert Kennedy as Senator and Presidential candidate. The story line covers a time span from the 1963 assassination of brother President John F. Kennedy to RFK's own assassination by a mad gunman on the 1968 Presidential campaign trail. The old newsreel footage and current footage could have been blended a lot better. The whole presentation is pretty bland compared to the high energy JFK by Oliver Stone. Linus Roache worked hard on getting down Bobby's mannerisms, but falls short on duplicating that Kennedy accent. James Cromwell does a remarkable portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson. Also in the cast are: Ving Rhames, Sergio Di Zio and Marnie McPhail. Not so impressive is the numberous scenes of Robert talking to the ghost of his dead brother John played poorly by Martin Donovan. The essence of RFK's vision for a new and better America is there. Politically inclined or not, it is worth your while to watch this version of history.
In today's world the words of Bobby Kennedy could not be more prescient. This movie plays around 4 major speeches and is bookended by the death of JFK and RFK's himself. There are a few clunker moments (Martin Donovan as an uninspired JFK), but Linus Roache's portrayal of RFK is remarkable and James Cromwell's LBJ so much more of the essence than Gambon's in the HBO film, A Path To War. Roache received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. See this movie for that alone.
Did you know
- TriviaThis marks the second time David Paymer is involved in a film where Richard Goodwin is a major character. While in this film he plays Goodwin (RFK speech-writer) Paymer interacts with lawyer/congress investigator Goodwin in Quiz Show (1994), this time played by Rob Morrow.
- Quotes
President Lyndon Baines Johnson: Even so, I gotta have you inside the tent pissin' out than outside pissin' in.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003)
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