Jackie is a peek through the looking glass of a woman struggling to juggle keeping her composure through the sudden and tragic death of her husband for the sake those around her and dealing with her own grief of those circumstances. It just so happens that “Jackie” in this case is former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, those around her for whom she provided strength and stability were the American people, and her husband the assassinated John F. Kennedy. The film is an interesting look at the behind the scenes happenings that the country never got to see as it mourned.
In addition to being a look at how one deals with grief in public, Jackie could also be described as The Natalie Portman Show. The film is almost exclusively a showcase of Portman, with only a couple supporting actors playing more than bit parts. Portman is more than up to the task of carrying the film however, doing a masterful job of transforming herself into the former first lady and conveying a woman going through the various stages of grief while simultaneously trying to ensure that her husband is sent off in a way befitting of his life and setting into motion the establishment of his legacy. Her arc of juggling personal pain and public/historical interest is paralleled by Peter Sarsgaard’s Robert Kennedy. Bobby assists his sister in law with funeral arrangements and serves as a sort of liason between the family and the government that is transitioning to a new President. Sarsgaard does well conveying the emotions of a brother in mourning but, I found myself annoyed at his lack of a Boston accent. The same applies to Lyndon B. Johnson, played by John Carroll Lynch. I know that southern and New England accents are notoriously hard to act but, I would’ve at least appreciated an attempt. The lack of them distracts seriously from the performances, especially in Lynch’s case with such a great LBJ performance from Bryan Cranston on HBO earlier this year. Despite this, Sarsgaard and Lynch do a good job acting out the dynamic of dislike and tension between RFK and LBJ.
Still, Portman’s performance is enough to carry the film and make it a compelling watch. Her performance lived up to the hype and I’m anxious to see if Emma Stone’s performance will make Best Actress the horse race many have predicted it to be. Some viewers may find it a little slow and a film based solely on examining the psyche of one character with no roller coaster plot a bit slow and plodding, but the performance of the star and a look into an interesting historical period make it a quality film for me.
Image: Fox Searchlight
