As the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination draws
near, it seems the tragic events surrounding that day are just as appealing to
Hollywood now as ever. Kennedy's life and death have been examined from
basically every perspective, growing in legend and becoming like fine ambrosia
to conspiracy theorists everywhere. Journalist and first-time director Peter
Landesman avoids the paranoid path established by Oliver Stone's
JFK with
the ensemble drama
Parkland, and while it's not always coherent or
emotionally resonant as it should be, the film presents a sobering and honest
look at the people affected by Kennedy's death.
The film begins not long after Kennedy's arrival in Dallas on November 22nd
1963, and largely follows the staff of the Parkland Hospital where the
President, Lee Harvey Oswald, and even Jack Ruby were all taken for treatment. The
doctors, including young surgeon Jim Carrico (Zac Efron) go about their day
while the nurses gossip over how pretty the First Couple are together. Local
busy-body Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) of the famous "Zapruder
film" just wants to capture the motorcade on his new camera, while Secret
Service agents Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton) and Roy Kellerman (Tom
Welling) worry about security risks.
Presented in a grounded, intimate style best described as Greengrass-esque,
the film is made up of a series of little moments with an emphasis on the
details. This is no more apparent than in the depiction of the assassination,
which Landesman is careful not to simply recreate. We've seen footage of it so
many times that it's wholly unnecessary, but what little we do see follows the
point-by-point description in witness accounts. Instead, Landesman turns his
attention to the traumatized people watching the shooting unfold, in particular
the nervous Zapruder, whose Super 8 footage would become a crucial piece of
evidence.
What unfolds next is a chaotic police procedural as the Secret Service and
FBI scramble to figure out what went wrong, while the doctors furiously work to
save the President's life. Many of the controversial questions that have
surrounded that day crop up, in particular about the role Lee Harvey Oswald
(Jeremy Strong) had to play, but Landesman is quick to leave anything vaguely
conspiratorial in the dust. However, there's still room to question the
handling of the case by the FBI, who had Oswald in their custody just days
before the shooting, causing a p.r. nightmare.
For all of the film's realism and faithful recreations, building an
emotional connection to any of the characters is a problem Landesman never
quite cracks. An ensemble of this size was always going to have issues in that
regard even with such a talented cast portraying so many recognizable figures.
While we see that most of these people understand the gravity of the situation,
especially the doctors and agents with literal blood on their hands, we don’t
learn enough to understand why Kennedy was important to them. The only exceptions
are the fascinating glimpses into Oswald's family, in particular his brother
Robert (James Badge Dale) who must deal with the shame of having a legendary
murderer in his family. His grief is only compounded by their mother (Jacki
Weaver), a glory hound looking for her 15 minutes of fame. It's through the Oswald’s
that Landesman finds the one compelling storyline that can stand on its own,
aided by yet another fantastic performance by Dale. Most of the performances
are solid otherwise, with Weaver's psychotic "Mommie Dearest" bit the
biggest distraction. Landesman still has some growing pains to work through as
a director. Some of the edits are sloppy and it gets a little tough to follow
what's going on with which character at any given time. Ensembles of this size
are notoriously tough even for veteran directors.
Parkland works when focusing on the little things, making us feel
like true witnesses to history rather than judging it through the benefit of
hindsight. JFK's assassination remains an important historical touchstone in
this country, but its significance has long been lost to myth and rampant
speculation. While Parkland still doesn't feel completely necessary and fails
to offer up much in the way of new information, Landesman deserves credit for
demystifying the event so its true impact can be felt.
The film begins not long after Kennedy's arrival in Dallas on November 22nd
1963, and largely follows the staff of the Parkland Hospital where the
President, Lee Harvey Oswald, and even Jack Ruby were all taken for treatment. The
doctors, including young surgeon Jim Carrico (Zac Efron) go about their day
while the nurses gossip over how pretty the First Couple are together. Local
busy-body Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) of the famous "Zapruder
film" just wants to capture the motorcade on his new camera, while Secret
Service agents Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton) and Roy Kellerman (Tom
Welling) worry about security risks. 
Presented in a grounded, intimate style best described as Greengrass-esque,
the film is made up of a series of little moments with an emphasis on the
details. This is no more apparent than in the depiction of the assassination,
which Landesman is careful not to simply recreate. We've seen footage of it so
many times that it's wholly unnecessary, but what little we do see follows the
point-by-point description in witness accounts. Instead, Landesman turns his
attention to the traumatized people watching the shooting unfold, in particular
the nervous Zapruder, whose Super 8 footage would become a crucial piece of
evidence. 
What unfolds next is a chaotic police procedural as the Secret Service and
FBI scramble to figure out what went wrong, while the doctors furiously work to
save the President's life. Many of the controversial questions that have
surrounded that day crop up, in particular about the role Lee Harvey Oswald
(Jeremy Strong) had to play, but Landesman is quick to leave anything vaguely
conspiratorial in the dust. However, there's still room to question the
handling of the case by the FBI, who had Oswald in their custody just days
before the shooting, causing a p.r. nightmare.
For all of the film's realism and faithful recreations, building an
emotional connection to any of the characters is a problem Landesman never
quite cracks. An ensemble of this size was always going to have issues in that
regard even with such a talented cast portraying so many recognizable figures.
While we see that most of these people understand the gravity of the situation,
especially the doctors and agents with literal blood on their hands, we don’t
learn enough to understand why Kennedy was important to them. The only exceptions
are the fascinating glimpses into Oswald's family, in particular his brother
Robert (James Badge Dale) who must deal with the shame of having a legendary
murderer in his family. His grief is only compounded by their mother (Jacki
Weaver), a glory hound looking for her 15 minutes of fame. It's through the Oswald’s
that Landesman finds the one compelling storyline that can stand on its own,
aided by yet another fantastic performance by Dale. Most of the performances
are solid otherwise, with Weaver's psychotic "Mommie Dearest" bit the
biggest distraction. Landesman still has some growing pains to work through as
a director. Some of the edits are sloppy and it gets a little tough to follow
what's going on with which character at any given time. Ensembles of this size
are notoriously tough even for veteran directors. 
Parkland works when focusing on the little things, making us feel
like true witnesses to history rather than judging it through the benefit of
hindsight. JFK's assassination remains an important historical touchstone in
this country, but its significance has long been lost to myth and rampant
speculation. While Parkland still doesn't feel completely necessary and fails
to offer up much in the way of new information, Landesman deserves credit for
demystifying the event so its true impact can be felt.
