Bobby - ACE Train Movie Review

It's early June in 1968, and the California presidential primary elections are occupying the minds of many in the Golden State, with Robert F. Kennedy in a close race against Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey. The Kennedy campaign staff has set up camp at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, while the staff and guests become observers as the brother of fallen president John F. Kennedy sets out to pick up where his sibling left off. Paul is the manager of the Ambassador, and his wife Miriam is a hairdresser who runs's the hotel's beauty salon. Angela is a receptionist working the hotel's switchboard who has been sleeping with Paul behind Miriam's back. Timmons is in charge of the hotel's restaurant and catering department, and makes no secret of his dislike of the African-Americans and Latinos under his employ. Miguel and Jose are two young Chicanos on the kitchen staff who have it in for Timmons, while Robinson is an older black man who counsels them on dealing with their rage. Virginia Fallon sings in the hotel's cocktail lounge and has a serious problem with alcohol; her husband Tim is a Kennedy supporter and also her manager, and he's nearing the end of his rope in dealing with her problem. All of these people are in attendance to be a part of history - little do they know the tragedy that is about to occur.

I really liked this film because it was told from a completely different perspective than would have been typical. When I saw the title and DVD case, I was expecting the film to be about Bobby Kennedy and his assassination. While the underlying drive for the film is Bobby Kennedy's appearance at the Ambassador Hotel, the plot really centers around the lives of those people "lucky" enough to be at the hotel on that historic night. Although most of the characters were made up, it was still very interesting to think about the back stories of the witnesses to Bobby Kennedy's assassination and how all of their personal drama was instantly put into perspective when Kennedy was shot. I also liked the fact that the actual footage was interspersed throughout the film which made it more "real" even though most of the movie was a work of fiction. Finally, the cast was incredible and was a virtual who's who in Hollywood which doesn't always work, but it certainly did in this film.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, William H. Macy, Sharon Stone, Christian Slater, Laurence Fishburne, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, Heather Graham, Ashton Kutcher

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.