Mesmerizing

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2017)

Natalie Portman is mesmerizing in the role of Jackie. We feel her presence and she encompasses the mystic and the aura of Jacqueline Kennedy. Also the tremendous tragedy of this era – namely the unresolved assassination of a world leader at the apex of world power – is at the forefront of this film. The impact of those bullets on the motorcade is felt throughout this film.
Natalie Portman simply overpowers all the scenes she is in. She tosses out zingers – a la Jacqueline Kennedy – that are only noticed after – as in I think she just insulted the interviewer, the state senator...
As an additional caveat - if one is not familiar with this time period –if you are under 30 years of age this film may not affect you emotionally. Also the film somewhat slows towards the ending – I felt the conversations with her priest (Played by William Hurt) to be tedious and overly theological/philosophical sagging the overall impact.