Jackie (2016)

Unbelievably dull. Natalie Portman's "authentic" accent is so incomprehensible that we couldn't work out what she was mumbling. Truly a Marlon Brando for our age. So glad we missed this at the cinema. Gave up watching after about 20-30 minutes. First time that's happened in years - we usually stick with a film to the end, but this one was just unbearable and, frankly, life is too short.

Black Swan still remains her best film by far, but there's something alluring about her role in this. The accent, the mannerisms, the sheer amount of class...it's yet another transformative performance. Focussing purely on the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, it follows the First Lady as she reflects on her horrific past to a reporter. We experience her struggle for personal grief whilst being in the eye of the public. Clearly Jackie Kennedy was an empowering individual and rather admirable. She could've easily snapped and had a complete breakdown, but her classy demeanour exceeded this. She was constantly in control of herself. She had to be, for her children and for herself. With such a powerful and emotive individual, we needed one of the best actresses working today. Yes! Bring in Natalie Portman. Absolutely phenomenal. I haven't seen La La Land at the time of this review, but I honestly doubt Emma Stone was able to better this. Portman became Jackie Kennedy. It wasn't just copying her and mimicking her personality. I wasn't watching Portman, I was watching Kennedy. It's a film that is entirely dependant on that central character, thankfully it works. Fortunately the film's runtime is short and sweet so it rarely drags. There are a few scenes that are perhaps prolonged too much, including the funeral procession itself. For the most part, the pacing is good. Not a big fan of the typical biopic setup of the character being interviewed in order to create the narrative. Slightly uninspired. The supporting cast assisted in boosting Portman's performance. Sarsgaard and the late John Hurt being the standouts. I adored the inclusion of real footage and recordings, made the experience far more authentic. The usage of traditional film cameras also felt vintage, no need for IMAX or anything like that. It's a personal and intimate story that doesn't require advanced technology. One of Portman's best.

Overrated movie: Jackie (on Amazon Prime). Comparing Portman's tour of the White House to the real thing on YouTube, she's a truly incredible mimic - but not sure her acting skills are really demonstrated here.I get that the semi-random flicking back and forth between present and past is a deliberate attempt to convey her mental state, but it still feels random.Disappointing that we learn so little of the woman beyond her entirely understandable state in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. The blood-stained dress was really thrown in your face in scene after scene (we got it the first time, thanks). And the (fictitious) interview gimmick felt crude - telling when it could have been showing.Finally, the photography was bland and uninteresting even when showing what should have been grand or moving scenes. It's not a terrible movie, but it was a tremendous waste given what it could have been.

It must take some doing the assassination of JFK and reduce to the level of boredom the viewer has to endure for one and a half hours. I really struggled to find a reason the film was made it just seemed to drift along and then end, my wife asked "Is that it?" sadly yes. I think Natalie Portman did an OK job with a awful script and the soundtrack was too loud and dreary. I am trying to understand what they wanted to convey, was it that Jackie was pretty much self absorbed? The whole thing just plods along a bit like the scene were she plods through the Arlington cemetery mud. They also missed the moving scene were the son salutes the coffin, this film unfortunately is not worth your wasted time watching it.