Chappaquiddick

This movie is problematic in my opinion. On one hand it is an interesting story about American political dynasties that the Kennedys definitely were. I'll talk more about it in the body of this review, but it is an interesting story that asks the questions of if the ends justify the means, what does legacy mean, and where does truth lie in a political world? All very good questions that I will address in the review. But on the other hand, this movie becomes problematic when you consider that while it's almost been 10 years since Ted Kennedy passed away, he still has family that is alive and the question of respect for those involved is still relevant. But furthermore, the Kennedy family isn't a huge factor of American politics the way it used to be. If this movie was trying to portray a message about the political dynasty dynamic of the Kennedy family, it kind of loses its sting as a lot of people (especially younger people) barely recognize the name Ted Kennedy or know what happened at Chappaquiddick. So this movie had to have had some problematic production and timing on when to release the film during a time that was relevant and respectful at the same time. This movie probably would have been more powerful in the 90s or early 2000s when more people remembered the situation, but would that have respected the rights of those involved? Again, problematic.

I'm not going to make this review about the political edge of this movie and I can't speak to the accuracy of the film either. While I'm probably more aware of the Chappaquiddick situation then most people my age, I can't speak to what is accurate and I'm not about to go down a road of examining the political "sides" of this movie. I've noticed that a lot of conservative voices love this film and a lot of liberal voices don't like it. I don't want delve into those reasons too much in this review. I'm going to treat this movie almost as though it is not based on true events as best as I can. And in reality, it's not as hard as this disclaimer is making it out to be.

Chappaquiddick takes place in 1969 just as the United States is about to put a man on the moon. The Kennedy family is still reeling from the decade of assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy in '63 and '68 respectively as well as the recent tragic sudden death of Joe Jr in a plane crash. But at the same time it's seeing the rise of Ted Kennedy (played by Jason Clarke). Ted is idealistic and primed for a bright future in politics utilizing the Kennedy name. While he lives in the shadow of great men like Robert and John, there is a sense in the movie that he could be a great man and could one day be President.

Before I go on, I need to say that Jason Clarke was a perfect choice for this role and a combination of his acting and the writing (as well as some real life family dynamics), makes the character of Ted Kennedy fascinating for this particular story. While JFK and RFK are not in the film, they hold a presence over Ted and he has a constant struggle to live up to the legacy that is the Kennedy name as the only living Kennedy son of Joseph (played by Bruce Dern). This dynamic is brilliant and carries through the entire movie, I'll talk about it more in a little bit.

During a party in Chappaquiddick, on what seems like the eve of Ted's political career about to sky rocket towards him running for President, Ted gets into a car accident with a secretary named Mary Jo Kopechne (played by Kate Mara) who Ted was trying to bring onto his campaign team.

The accident ends Ted surviving but Mary Jo drowning in the car. This is the motivating event as the rest of the film is the aftermath, cover up, and all the political intrigue in between of this accident and the impact it has on the political career of Ted Kennedy, all in a span of about a week.

The fascinating thing about the film is how it builds. The accident happens and there is the initial reactions. There is the initial shock you share with Ted as well as his friends and colleagues (played by Ed Helms and Jim Gaffigan). But then it escalates. Ted and his team try to deal with it in a way that is truthful but also saves face. Then there's a larger group of people who have been working to save the Kennedy public image for years who come in to not only hide the truth, but make it work in the favor of Ted in the long run.

It all works to paint a picture (a probably very accurate picture) of how expansive the Kennedy political dynasty was. I could really liken the way they're portrayed in this film similar to the mob like in The Godfather. The interesting part of the story, and the real heart of it is Ted in the center of it all. While he has this shady organization around him, he's not really a bad guy. He wants to do the right thing and at multiple points in the movie he tries. However, he still finds himself torn between what is right and preserving the legacy of his family as well as his political future. It's almost a little comical how poorly they portray Joseph Kennedy, but while he's the Don Corleone of the family, Ted is no Michael, at least in a lot of parts of the film. Ted rides a line through the entire film between Michael Corleone, to Kay Corleone, to having a couple of moments of straight up Fredo Corleone throughout this film and they address it pretty bluntly. It's that line he rides that brings the most intrigue to the film and makes the story really compelling.

And I think that's the thing that makes this movie problematic for me. On face value, if I was an alien who came to earth not knowing anything about United States history, I'd more than likely see this film and see it as a fascinating story about a man trying to be a good person and live up to the legacy of his family but realizing that those two things don't always work together. That would be fine. It's almost Shakespearean.

And maybe that was the point of this story, maybe this wasn't supposed to be commenting on current events or be a prop for either political side, but I get the feeling that regardless of the filmmakers intention, this film has and will be used for political purposes to bash the Kennedy family and point towards different political points. And on the other side, opponents to the film won't be able to see Shakespearean quality of story telling in the film because they'll see it as an attack on political ideals.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe this movie hasn't had the intense reactions I think it has, but even though there are a lot of young people that the historical basis of the film won't resonate with, this film still ruffled some feathers with some people.

The good thing is, it makes it easier to point out when the movie is just telling an intriguing story, and when it's trying to comment on our current political system.

There are a lot of moments where the movie is pointing out current tensions and problems in the political environment and those moments come off as cheesy and odd. There's a point where one of the other secretaries (played by Olivia Thirlby) makes an ends justify the means argument and how the Kennedy name is good for America. There's cheesy lines that criticize the choices he makes as well and those were the low points.

But more often than not, there were some honest moments of character development and questions of morality that really shined in this movie. I won't give away what happens in case you don't want to know, but the scene in the picture above where Ed Helms and Jason Clarke are talking near the end of the film is a solid moment with themes of morality and real character interaction that I loved.

So the truth is you get a little bit of both.

Overall, I would really recommend Chappaquiddick, I would just put in the disclaimer that you shouldn't read too much into it. I think my caution on this movie isn't so much about the movie itself but the blanks that partisan people let it fill. See this as a movie and nothing else, not a biopic, not "Based on a True Story", just a movie. Don't read too much into the accuracy or the commentary it has on our current political climate because you're not gonna get any real answers.

Instead see this as a cautionary tale and a morality lesson about legacy. Look at the themes of movie instead as almost an alternate version of the telling of The Godfather and I think you'll really enjoy the film.

You'll get some great acting from Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, Clancy Brown, and Bruce Dern. While it's not exactly the fastest moving movie of all time, it does handle a pretty small incident in a really intriguing way and building the tension and political intrigue a lot.

But those are my thoughts on Chappaquiddick. What did you think? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!