Jackie, They Hardly Knew Ye

Rating: 4/10 (23 January 2018)

This must be the umpteenth version of Jacks by now? I think they were full of bravado agreeing to do this yet again. For those of us who are old enough to have lived through it, nothing new here. I have to say that I have difficulty historically dealing with impersonators in general because I tend to become harsher than usual. I'm a stickler for small details. For instance, her hair is incorrect--Jackie had more of it and a lower hairline which gave her a distinctive look. Natalie's hair comes and goes throughout the film as though she either has extensions going on or a wig and then not a wig. Her hairline is so high that she almost looks like she's balding. Then there's the accent--at times it does evoke Jackie but mostly there's a distinctive annoying lisp that Jackie never had. Then there's the miscasting of almost everyone else in the film The only people who 'look' like they might be Kennedys are the actors for JFK and Teddy whom we barely see or hear. Bobby is played by one of those Swedish boys from that huge Scarsgaard family. He too has an unbearable lisp. Jackie was tall for a female of that time; Ms. Portman barely reaches anyone's shoulders. Jacks was famous for wearing low cut heels. Natalie is on stilts and even then she can't outgrow Tucky or Rose Kennedy (who was a shrimp). The clothing looks bought from a Catholic charities shop downtown--work,cheap and completely wrong. The children are pathetically incorrect, no comment (Some producers' kids no doubt?)! A fine Brit actor plays the priest but hardly has a line worth mentioning. Portman gives good grief but adds a snippy , cranky sarcastic edge to everything she says (very unlike ladies who were taught manners from Miss Porters). A 'rush to production' is obvious . It does perhaps show Jackie's complete experience of the time but hardly and unfairly all sides of the woman. Watch documentaries and skip this one.