Disappointing and Overrated

Rating: 3/10 (11 January 2017)

I went to see this movie mainly because I had read rave reviews of Natalie Portman's performance, which according to some, will certainly win her her second Oscar.
I cannot adequately express my disappointment in the movie and in Portman's performance. The first thing that bothered me was the horrible accent she had put on. I don't know if Jackie Kennedy really spoke this way but it felt forced, artificial. She was good at expressing grief, but I was unable to feel any sympathy. This is shocking, considering how devastating the event - JFK assassination- was to the whole country.
In this movie Jackie came across as self centered, which can be forgiven, considering the magnitude of her loss. Natalie Portman couldn't touch me emotionally. The frequent close ups were annoying. We know she was devastated, but it was unnecessary to show closeups if her blood stained face, crying and tears again and again.
The worst part of the movie was the interview which went into the past, in segments, asking how she felt, and Portman's acting in those scenes was way below her ability. Natalie Portman is a good actress, but in thus movie she felt artificial. It was totally unnecessary to create the interviews. If the point of the movie was to show Jackie Kennedy's feelings and courage at the worst time of her life, a more direct approach might have worked better. The screenplay, background score, direction were all deficient in putting life into this tragic story. I couldn't wait for the movie to end.
The saving grace was the costumes and the White House interior at that time. They were wonderful. Acting wise no one other than 'Jackie' had much room. The screenplay certainly didn't help.
The whole movie felt like someone wanted to create a movie that would show Natalie Portman on the screen all the time. Sadly she remained Natalie Portman to me. She never felt like Jackie Kennedy.