Jackie (2015)

While I’m not usually one for the grand biopic style of movie and lack strong ties to these particular historical figures, I found myself curious about Natalie Portman’s much-discussed performance in it as Jackie Kennedy following her husband's assassination.
As a movie, it seems pretty standard for movies of this style. If you like this sort of thing, it will no doubt be up your alley - it is well shot and fairly seamless in its historical integration. I guess that I'm just not the target audience for this kind of movie, because I found myself drifting out of it. I had the same issue with it that I have with a lot of Natalie Portman films (a possible exception in Black Swan), where the union of her distinctive style with whatever her role is - in this case, a very distinctive historical figure - made it impossible to loser her inside the film. It felt, the entire time, like Natalie Portman AS Jackie Kennedy. Perhaps the inconsistency of accent was to blame, or perhaps it was my own lack of investment in the story, but it was never able to break through that barrier to really connect. As a result, it felt overlong and at times I was really drawn from the story. It’s probably entirely personal, because the people I saw it with absolutely adored it, and could not stop singing its praises. 
So there you go: technically wonderful, and a beautifully made movie, but because my ratings come down to how the movie impacts me and my enjoyment thereof, it definitely wasn’t a favourite. I don’t think it was Portman’s best work, and I don’t think it’s necessarily award-worthy, though her commitment to the role was strong and I do think she is a very capable actress. There were some great scenes, but a lot of filler ones, and I don’t think it’s going to go down as something particularly memorable for me when I come to the close of the year.
Rating: 5/10 - It did a goof job of bringing life to a familiar story, but I felt the character was not fully realised. In a movie that hinges as heavily on character as this one, that's a major loss.

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