Good Performance in a Not Very Good film

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2017)

It's never a good sign when I am watching a film, that I start checking IMDb to see "how long is this thing going to last". The good news for me is that JACKIE comes in at a tidy 1 hour, 40 minutes and, if you skip the credits, you can escape the theater after about an hour, thirty-five.
And, escape I did, for - apart from Natalie Portman, John Hurt and Greta Gerwig's performances - there is not much else worth mentioning in this film. And that is too bad for the subject matter - the days from JFK's assassination to his funeral as shown through the eyes of his widow - is intriguing, if only the filmmakers made an intriguing film.
Let's start with what works. Natalie Portman does a terrific job as the haunted, lost Jackie. She is nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress and she deserves it. Portman/Jackie is trying to make sense of what just happened, how her "Camelot" life has been upended, what does it mean, how does she go on - all the while putting on a good face to a nation that needed her. She also has to be a comforting mother to her children, who just lost a father. Jackie spends much of the movie in a fog and Portman's performance of this is interesting and works, for the most part, and I really liked the supporting turns of Greta Gerwig (as Jackie's assistant) and the recently departed John Hurt as a priest Jackie talks to in her time of crisis. Their scenes with Portman have some sort of spark that could have (should have) jump started this film.
But it's just not enough.
As I mention, Portman - as Jackie - spends much of this film lost in a fog and, unfortunately, Director Pablo Larrain pulls the audience into this fog as well. It was interesting - maybe even intriguing, at the beginning of the film, but, eventually, I started wondering "what's the point" and "let's get on with it". His point, I think, was to have the audience lost in the same fog as Jackie and that might sound like a good idea for a film on paper, but it just didn't work as it was played out over time.
Adding to this is the intrusive score by Mica Levi (UNDER THE SKIN). The continuous hard punctuation of sound pulling Jackie back from the fog (most of the time) was jarring to me and, after a while, gave me a headache. Again, I think I get what he is going for, it just was CONSTANT and annoying after awhile.
Which, ultimately, is my complaint with this film. There is a wealth of avenues to explore with this subject, but focusing on, basically, one thing does not for a good movie make. It gets redundant and boring and, ultimately, fails as a film.
Go to JACKIE for Portman's (and Gerwig's and Hurt's) strong performances. Endure the rest.
Letter Grade B- (for the performances)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)