“Now that King is gone, no one is left but Bobby,” says Dwayne, a character in the movie played by Nick Cannon. “He saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw war and tried to stop it,” reads the tagline for the movie “Bobby.”

Starting and ending with audio of Robert F. Kennedy’s speeches, the movie is not a biography of Kennedy’s life. Instead, it is a reflection of the times, showing the lives of 22 fictitious characters who portray what it was like at the Ambassador Hotel in the 16 hours before Kennedy’s assassination.

“Bobby” features one of the most impressive casts ever assembled for a movie. The list of actors includes Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Heather Graham, Joshua Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, and Ashton Kutcher.

Emilio Estevez wrote, directed, and starred in the picture.
Each of the aforementioned characters had their own subplot which was broken up throughout the film, but only totaled about 10 minutes per plotline. All of the characters had a compelling and interesting story which the viewer could have become immersed in if more time was focused on fewer characters.

These subplots could have been the subject of their own individual movies; there was no relation between them for most of the film. Some of the characters and plots intertwined in the climax of “Bobby,” but it seemed like Estevez was more interested in getting as many stars in the film as possible rather than making a cohesive plot.

Despite the plethora of characters ranging from acid-tripping Kennedy campaigners (one is played by Disney Channel’s Shia LaBeouf) to virginal brides (Lohan) to a hotel chef (Lawrence Fishbourne) who embodies the ideals and mission of Martin Luther King, Jr., there are no supporters of the Vietnam War portrayed in the film.

The director may have left out non-supporters purposefully to emphasize the public’s love of Kennedy and his ideas, but this void leaves out the Americans who seriously disapproved of Kennedy. As a result of this, the plot gives no reasons why anyone would want to kill him.

Another character missing from the movie is Bobby Kennedy himself. No actor was hired to portray him. Instead, original clips of Kennedy’s campaigning and controversial footage of the actual assassination were used. However, the clips added to the emotionally intense ending of the movie, and were a good decision on the part of Estevez.

Upon reflection, one of the most striking features of “Bobby” is the timing of its release. This movie about primary elections during a politically turbulent time conveniently coincides with the recent mid-term elections during an equally controversial war.

The film demonstrates that during the Vietnam War, there was a much-loved leader who had a plan to bring American troops home. Tragically, Kennedy was killed before he could be elected. “Bobby” highlights this absence in our current situation – there is no leader who has a similar plan to bring troops home from Iraq.

Despite a confusing plotline, which is slow to develop and rather uncompelling until the last half an hour of the film, the intense and emotional climax (which begins when Kennedy enters the hotel and ends with his death) makes up for these flaws. The ending really captures the horror and sadness of the people at the Ambassador Hotel that night.

“Our family is grateful to Emilio Estevez and the extraordinary cast of Bobby for remembering Robert Kennedy’s life and his commitment to social justice, peace and equality,” said Ethel Kennedy, Robert’s widow. “Hopefully the film will inspire a new generation to make gentle the life of the world.