Report Card---"Jackie"

How big the problems are with "Jackie" depends on how old you are, and how well you remember the Kennedy era.
If you are young enough to not have any first-hand memory of it, it's as good a representation of what happened as anything.
I'm old enough to remember everything.
And this causes some problems.
It was a very superficial treatment of her life, concentrating only on her years in the White House.
I kept hoping that I'd learn something that I didn't know going in.
All that I learned was that she smoked like a chimney and drank like a boozehound.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Mildly.  Even for me.
B-.

Compelling even?

Never.
F.

Is it controversial?

I was hoping they'd get into how she dealt with JFK's infidelities.
It never even came up.
F.

Is it a story worth telling?

Not really.  Any existing documentary footage tells it better.
D.

Is it good storytelling?

For the most part, it almost totally lacks drama.
D.

Is it well written?

Not particularly
C.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Almost everybody seemed miscast.  Could they find anybody who at least resembled Bobby Kennedy?  This guy had light red hair.  LBJ didn't even have big ears.  JFK at least looked the part, but he was given very little to say.  Natalie Portman wasn't very convincing.
C-.

Well shot?

OK.  It was probably mostly stock footage.
B.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

No.
F.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.  Not a problem.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

At 90 minutes, it still seemed long.
D.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Everyone did.
A.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

Yes, and no.
C-.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Not in the slightest
C.

Is it funny?

Never.  It takes itself very seriously.
F.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Maybe if you were paying.  Not me.
F.

Is it impressive?

Not at all
C-.

Overall grade: C-.
.
There are much better ways to learn about the Kennedys than this attempt at pageantry.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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