December 14, 2016 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
FILM REVIEW: Portman Channels Jackie Kennedy in Perceptive ‘Jackie’
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
H
ow did Jackie Kennedy
feel in the wake of her
husband’s
assassina-
tion in Dallas on Nov.
22, 1963? That is the question
explored in “Jackie,” a picture
which paints a perceptive por-
trait of Camelot’s First Lady by
speculating about her mental
state during the days immedi-
ately following the assassina-
tion of JFK (Caspar Phillipson).
In that regard, this behind-the-
scenes biopic is rather remi-
niscent of “The Queen” (2006)
which presumed to provide a
fly-on-the-wall’s perspective
of the goings-on inside Buck-
ingham Palace after the un-
timely death of Princess Diana.
Directed by Pablo Larrain
(Neruda), Jackie stars Acad-
emy Award-winner Natalie
“
‘Jackie’ stars Academy Award-winner Natalie Portman
certain expected staples of the
Jackie Kennedy iconography,
such as the whispery voice and
the pillbox hat, while simulta-
neously plumbing the depths
of her complicated soul.
Consequently, we get a sense
when she was being given the
bum’s rush out of the White
House by incoming Lady Bird
Johnson (Beth Grant), who was
already thinking about replac-
ing the drapes before JFK had
been buried.
[Natalie Portman] manages to replicate certain expected
staples of the Jackie Kennedy iconography, such as the
whispery voice and the pillbox hat, while simultaneously
plumbing the depths of her complicated soul
Portman (for “Black Swan”) in
the title role. Portman is like-
ly to garner another Oscar
nomination for her very con-
vincing impersonation of the
readily-recognizable legend.
For, she manages to replicate
l d!
a
n
Fi ken
e
e
W
of the familiar public figure’s
internal angst in a variety of
situations, such as when she
had to break the news of their
father’s death to Caroline (Sun-
nie Pelant) and John-John (Aid-
en and Brody Weinberg). Or
Fortunately, Jackie did have a
shoulder to cry on in her hour
of need. No, it was not brother-
in-law Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard)
who thought of her as a “silly,
little debutante,” but the Cath-
olic priest (John Hurt) who
served as her confidant and
confessor. He helped Jackie
summon up the strength and
courage to accompany her
husband’s casket, by foot, in
the funeral procession down
Pennsylvania Avenue, despite
fears of a copycat assassin.
Her faith faltering, Jackie
freely admitted,, “I think God
is cruel.” She even wondered
aloud whether she might have
been better off marrying “an
ordinary, lazy, ugly man.”
And while Jackie desperately
grasps at straws to make sense
of her unspeakable nightmare,
the most comforting words
her supportive cleric can find
are “There are no answers in
man’s search for meaning.”
A bittersweet drama effec-
tively echoing the lyrics from
the classic show tune Jackie
identified as JFK’s favorite, a
week after his passing: “Don’t
let it be forgot, that once there
was a spot, for one brief shin-
ing moment that was known as
Camelot.”
Excellent HHHH
Rated R for profanity and
brief graphic violence
Running time: 99 minutes
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Pictures
La La Land cont’d from pg 6
for tips in dingy dives while
trying to save enough cash
to open his own nightclub.
Mia’s an aspiring actress who
divides her time between
fruitless auditions and a
thankless job as a barista at a
coffee shop right on the War-
ner Brothers lot.
Seb and Mia are strang-
ers who initially experience
only aggravation whenever
their paths serendipitious-
ly cross. Eventually, sparks
do finally fly, which inspires
them to belt out mellifluous
and melancholy tunes. More
importantly, they fall in love
and encourage each other to
pursue their elusive dreams.
Since it would be unfair
to spoil any of the ensuing
plot developments, suffice to
say that Gosling and Stone
are pure delight, whether
warbling or just generating
screen chemistry. A charm-
ing crowd-pleaser that richly
deserves all the superlatives
it’s undoubtedly about to re-
ceive over the course of the
upcoming awards season!
Excellent HHHH
Rated PG-13 for profanity