Read Mixed User Reviews for Jackie

4

WaelJan 26, 2017

A strong performance from Natalie Portman is not enough to save 'Jackie' from being plotless and plain boring. It is not necessarily a bad movie, and some people will definitely enjoy it, but it would've been much better if it covered more ofA strong performance from Natalie Portman is not enough to save 'Jackie' from being plotless and plain boring. It is not necessarily a bad movie, and some people will definitely enjoy it, but it would've been much better if it covered more of Jacqueline Kennedy's life, or her post as the first lady, or her upbringing and her life with her husband. Instead, it just focuses on the aftermath of the assassination and the plans of the burrial. I wanted to like this movie, but unfortunately, I couldn't.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

All this user's reviews

4

Benkoko11Feb 23, 2017

A gold-plated platform for Natalie Portman to deliver an Oscar-bait virtuoso performance but I'm left wondering if the film was made for that reason alone.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

6

moviemitch96Dec 23, 2016

I don't usually like to use this term to describe a film since I feel as though it's become somewhat of a cliche lately, however, it's really the only one and most fitting that I can think of to describe this film: Oscar bait. Unfortunately,I don't usually like to use this term to describe a film since I feel as though it's become somewhat of a cliche lately, however, it's really the only one and most fitting that I can think of to describe this film: Oscar bait. Unfortunately, it's pretty tedious Oscar bait at that as well. Honestly, I just wanna cut to the chase by saying that Natalie Portman's performance as the titular character is the best thing the film's got going for it and even that's not saying much, because despite her honest and well-intended portrayal, in my opinion it still managed to come off as rather hammed up and forced many times. As for the rest of the film itself, I honestly felt as though most of its runtime was spent giving us close-ups of Portman's grieving and distraught face as well as her spending well over most of the film whining about how depressed she is and how she wishes she were dead. Overall, this was simply just a very stuffy, snobbish, and above all, Oscar baity film that has undeservedly caused huge Oscar buzz for Portman. I will seriously question the Academy's mindset should they choose to award her an unnecessary second Oscar for an ordinary performance in this ordinary film.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

All this user's reviews

5

GreatMartinJan 6, 2017

Anyone a teenager or older in the 1960s remembers the 'age of Camelot" and its horrific ending on November 22, 1963. The TV scenes from that day, and the week after, are embedded in our heads and the re-enactment of these scenes are the onesAnyone a teenager or older in the 1960s remembers the 'age of Camelot" and its horrific ending on November 22, 1963. The TV scenes from that day, and the week after, are embedded in our heads and the re-enactment of these scenes are the ones that move us the most in "Jackie".

Natalie Portman, who is being touted as the one to beat in the Oscar race, plays the title role and it really isn't one sustained part but a part of cameos to show her before during and after the death of her husband, the President of the United States, Jack Kennedy (played by Caspar Phillipson).

The premise is that Jackie is being interviewed, and she was by Theodore H. White, shortly after his death and burial, by an unamed journalist played by Billy Crudup. It is some question if she was more interested in preserving her husband's name and presidency or was she just a widow grieving for a dead husband and concerned of the legacy her children would deal with.

Many of the scenes are really private moments by herself, or with others, and one wonders how much is true and how much is the figment of screenwriter Noah Oppenheim's and director Pablo Larrain's minds.

Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kenedy, John Hurt as a priest who hears Jackie's thought of the existence of G-D, John Carrol Lynch as Lyndon B. Johnson, who reenacts the famous swearing in scene on the plane as Jackie in her blood-stained stands near him, Max Casella, as Jack Valenti, are all good in their roles but it is Great Gerwig, as Nancy Tuckerman, a loyal aide of Jackie's, that offers the most interesting role and her relationship to the First Lady.

Was Jaqueline Kennedy as calculating as she is made to sound regarding her insisting her husband's funeral follow that of Abraham Lincoln's? Was "Camalot" something she made up or a real part of her life and his presidency? She brought a certain class to the White House that had very seldom, if ever, been seen there not only with her doing an extensive redecorating job, all done with private funding, and with the Arts, but presenting an image for future First Ladies to try and match or better.

Though I wasn't as moved by Portman's performance as many seem to be and it was the showing of indelible moments we saw 53 years ago over and over on TV, and all the printed media, that affected many of us most in the audience, I would recommend this film to any one born after 1945.

It is the act of Jack Kennedy's head with his brains pouring out of his head in Jackie Kennedy's lap and her trying to put them back that made me once again hide my eyes from seeing that on the screen and being one of the main reasons I still admire her today.

By the way "Jackie" has one of the worst soundtracks of music that I have heard on screen in more years than I can remember, except for Richard Burton singing "Camelot" from the show he starred in on Broadway. At times I wanted to put in ear plugs!… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

5

AxeTDec 26, 2016

Highly over-rated, morbid, morose, very limited character study which critics fall for based on subject and tone alone, as the jackasses tend to do. What separates this theatrical film from a Lifetime channel treatment? Obscenely graphicHighly over-rated, morbid, morose, very limited character study which critics fall for based on subject and tone alone, as the jackasses tend to do. What separates this theatrical film from a Lifetime channel treatment? Obscenely graphic dialogue of JFK's head exploding for one thing. It's utterly inappropriate and doubtful she actually made those comments even off the record in reality. No this is a typically over-zealous Hollywood screenwriter who made those gratuitous choices and injected that. He and/or the director chose that emphasis. What does it do for us, the audience? Nothing beyond what we already know or need to know. That's for sure. It's photographed quite beautifully but the direction with its wall to wall maudlin score, an if not exactly unwelcome but unusual break from the norm, reeks of student film self indulgence.

Natalie is good. Does she deserve the Oscar? Maybe. Does this film deserve the praise the jackass herd trumpets? As usual not even close.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

6

noeltmanningDec 3, 2016

#NataliePortman = stunning in @jackiefilm yet experimental artistic take with odd editing, sound design & music hurt film = #cinemascene "C" https://soundcloud.com/wgwgdotorg/jackie-blindside-movie-review

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

All this user's reviews

5

jgzegerMar 2, 2017

A mediocre movie. Perhaps the best aspect is Natalie Portman's portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, but there were better performances in the past year. Overall, there have been too many movies made of the Kennedy presidency and his assassination,A mediocre movie. Perhaps the best aspect is Natalie Portman's portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, but there were better performances in the past year. Overall, there have been too many movies made of the Kennedy presidency and his assassination, and we didn't need another one. This one is from Jackie's perspective, but it really isn't that revealing of anything we didn't know already. The worst thing about this film is probably the casting. Apart from Portman as Jackie, nobody else is credible.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

6

iCronicAug 9, 2017

Her way of speaking is very off putting at first, it takes a while to get used to. I like the score. The film is intriguing but it feels too long, it really drags in the middle

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

5

KaptenVideoMar 21, 2017

JFK has been assassinated and the First Lady (Natalie Portman) is left to pick up the pieces. We get to see what she must have been gone through. I know nothing about the authenticity of this work but the movie looks good and it's alwaysJFK has been assassinated and the First Lady (Natalie Portman) is left to pick up the pieces. We get to see what she must have been gone through. I know nothing about the authenticity of this work but the movie looks good and it's always interesting to see the human side of the great historical figures. On this count, „Jackie“ delivers. All the doubts, fear, frailty and pettiness you can watch, and then some.

Portman gives a sharp nuanced performance and has a strong physical screen presence, especially for a widow broken down in grief and fear for the future.

There are a lot of good actors involved, including Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard as RFK, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant and John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon Johnson. But don't expect a strong ensemble movie, it's all about Jackie. Everybody else falls to the sidelines, ready to serve or interact when the main character when screenplay says so. But the acting’s impressive enough all around. So, everything good so far. But somehow.. the whole result is not. Sorry to put it bluntly but it felt boring as **** All Oscar-hunt and no soul. This is the most boring "good movie" I have watched since... well, two weeks or so, when I saw Martin Scorsese's "Silence".

The 99 minute movie feels much longer, mostly because of its pompous style and no readiness to delve deep into any of the characters, or the experience of being human in general, which the story is actually about. The only time I really felt the experience truly coming alive for a moment was near the end, thanks to the great late John Hurt as priest councelling the First Lady.

„Jackie“ was nominated for 120 movie awards and won 53, mostly for Portman’s acting work but some for music or costumes. There were one Golden Globe (Portman) and three Oscar (Portman, costumes, music) nominations but zero wins. Portman gives a sharp and nuanced performance, worthy of all her awards, although I would have given Oscar to Isabelle Huppert in „Elle“, for even more exciting role. But the real winner was Emma Stone in „La La Land“ of course. You know, just saying.

"Jackie" is the kind of project which makes you doubt yourself as a movie lover. You see all the quality work on screen and wonder why actually you're not liking it more. It must be you, right, not being able to cherish all the good movies, right? Well, no. All the competent acting or dark and ominous atmosphere inspired by Malick, Aronofsky or Shyamalan can't compensate for a movie having no soul.

So, where's the soul? Who knows. You can't always stay on the path with the heart just because you would like to. It goes to screenwriters and moviemakers too.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

5

amheretojudgeJun 3, 2018

grieved over life and death..

Jackie There are few dramatic sequences installed so perfectly that it aches to see such a fine art go waste by under this huge pile of troubled mourning that neither leaves the character nor the audience togrieved over life and death..

Jackie

There are few dramatic sequences installed so perfectly that it aches to see such a fine art go waste by under this huge pile of troubled mourning that neither leaves the character nor the audience to inhale for a moment. The feature is rich in costume and make-up design but unfortunately fails in background score and product design. The writing attempts a lot to grasp the viewers' attention through various perspective that may change the opinion but the real culprit in here is the premise that is restrained and something whose boundary can't be broken which is a downer. Pablo Larrian; the director, has done a tremendous work on executing this eerie character driven feature where the editing might not support it thoroughly. Natalie Portman is flat out amazing on her depiction and is supported brilliantly by a great supporting cast like Billy Crudup and Greta Gerwig. There are lots of bits and pieces that are thought-provoking and something that can be explored upon but if considered as a whole package, it shatters expectations. Jackie is a passion project that is grieved over life and death but the amount of time and the path it chooses to convey its message makes the audience work for it and frankly at the end of the line it isn't worth to that extent.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

6

dburks1990Jun 1, 2019

Natalie Portman is great as always but the film feels like it is missing something.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

6

DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021

This film is very maudlin - the titular character sounds quite ghostly and it has somewhat of an ethereal feel to it. Of course its all about a true story, a very sad story and I can't say it wasn't a complete tragedy but the film didn'tThis film is very maudlin - the titular character sounds quite ghostly and it has somewhat of an ethereal feel to it. Of course its all about a true story, a very sad story and I can't say it wasn't a complete tragedy but the film didn't especially appeal to me as it seemed that things were somehow just a bit too overly forced in my opinion. I feel the main culprit in this was the music, the sombre music felt a bit too forced. I can only imagine the pain that Mrs Kennedy must have felt and been left with for a long time after that horrendous shooting but it felt somehow slightly tacky the way that the music is so loudly over-present, if anything. I did feel that Natalie Portman gave a reasonably good performance as Jackie - she does quite well at having a glassy look, which is quite understandable. There was a distinct feeling, an atmosphere, of numbness, again quite understandably so. I still felt that there was something missing but I honestly can't say what that is. It was an ok watch, with some interesting pieces of dialogue and the like but I wouldn't say its especially good or great. Its quite an eery watch but I'm not especially sure I learnt a great deal from it and I wouldn't say its entirely memorable either.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

NickTheCritickApr 18, 2022

A really boring and subdued film from Larrain. Based all, or a lot, on the interpretation of Natalie Portman. Perhaps the most commercial and American film by the Chilean director.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews