Overrated performance from Portman, but good film overall

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2017)

JACKIE was slow but solid. Felt like Natalie Portman was channeling Marilyn Monroe in order to play the title role. Being born in the early 1970s, I never really saw Jackie Kennedy or her husband the way older people do, but as a historian, I appreciate their impact on the nation. But ... this was NOT an Oscar-worthy performance at all, IMHO, by Portman. She was mediocre, in truth. The rest of the cast was fantastic, though: Greta Gerwig kind of steals every scene she's in, and Peter Sarsgaard was good as RFK. John Hurt delivers the film's best lines, in truth, befitting his stature as an actor. Beth Grant and John Carroll Lynch did very well as the LBJs. The pacing was just unbearable, though, as the film just moves really slowly, and the editing was mediocre. The scenes are all jumbled out of order (purposefully?), and it takes away from the storytelling on an emotional level. A very interesting story, for sure, and it's certainly worth the 95 minutes it takes to watch. The historic aspect of the subject matter is undeniable, but the film itself could have been better.