Saturday, April 14, 2018

Chappaquiddick Movie Review

Jason Clarke stars in Chappaquiddick

The Deepest Kind of Trouble

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: In the riveting suspense drama, Chappaquiddick, the scandal and mysterious events surrounding the tragic drowning of a young woman, as Ted Kennedy drove his car off the infamous bridge, are revealed in the new movie starring Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne. Not only did this event take the life of an aspiring political strategist and Kennedy insider, but it ultimately changed the course of presidential history forever. Through true accounts, documented in the inquest from the investigation in 1969, director John Curran and writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen, intimately expose the broad reach of political power, the influence of America's most celebrated family; and the vulnerability of Ted Kennedy, the youngest son, in the shadow of his family legacy.


Hokey. Despite a yeoman's effort by Clarke, Curran's Chappaquiddick reveals nothing new, save for its unabashed attack on the once-powerful Kennedy clan. The director of Stone (insert joke here) paints Teddy as a bumbling, corruptive buffoon, which may be true; but wouldn't it be more enlightening to shine some light on the seemingly always overlooked Kopechne? Even her on-screen parents appear to be on Ted's side, which only seems to reinforce the Kennedy's teflon armor. Curious casting (comedians Jim Gaffigan, Ed Helms) & tongue-in-cheek moments (swimming the channel) merely distract us from the avoidable/criminal horror of Mary Jo's death.

Grade: D