Director Emilio Estevez Starring Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan, William H Macy, Elijah Wood Cert 15
Film *** Extras **
You don’t corral a star-stacked cast like Bobby’s without having more money than Bill Gates, possessing a mind-blowing script or being seriously liked. In Emilio Estevez’s case, it’s definitely the latter as the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone and Lindsay Lohan pay hagiographic tribute to him in this DVD’s misty-eyed Making Of.
The former Brat Packer seemed poised for a stunning comeback with his timely, Altmanesque tapestry about a day in the life of LA’s Ambassador Hotel, where Robert Kennedy was murdered on the verge of an unstoppable march to the White House. Unfortunately, the grand vision isn’t matched by Estevez’s writing or directing talents. Some of Bobby’s strands (Freddy Rodriguez’s Hispanic busboy raging against the machine) are solidly executed, while others (Helen Hunt fretting over shoes) are more bonfire of the banalities. But whenever the film’s titular supernova shows up in archive footage, it sends a chill down the spine and leaves you wondering, like Estevez, What if…? |