Chappaquiddick (film)

Chappaquiddick
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Curran
Produced by
Written by
  • Taylor Allen
  • Andrew Logan
Starring
Music by Garth Stevenson
Cinematography Maryse Alberti
Edited by Keith Fraase
Production
company
Apex Entertainment
Distributed by Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Release date
  • September 10, 2017 (2017-09-10) (TIFF)
  • April 6, 2018 (2018-04-06) (United States)
Running time
 101 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $34 million[2]
Box office $18 million[3]

Chappaquiddick (titled The Senator in the UK)[4] is a 2017 American drama film directed by John Curran, and written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan. The film stars Jason Clarke as Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne, with Ed Helms, Bruce Dern, Jim Gaffigan, Clancy Brown, and Olivia Thirlby in supporting roles. The plot details the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident in which Kennedy drove his car into Poucha Pond, killing Kopechne, and the Kennedy family's response.

Principal photography began in Boston, in September 2016. The film originally premiered at the Gala Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2017,[5] and was released in the United States on April 6, 2018, by Entertainment Studios.[6] It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its balanced screenplay and Clarke's performance.[7]

Plot

In July 1969, U.S. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (Clarke) gives an interview, wherein he is questioned about standing in the shadow of his late brothers, John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. After the interview, he calls his cousin, Joe Gargan (Helms), to arrange for hotel rooms on Martha's Vineyard for the Boiler Room Girls, his brother Robert's campaign staff. Kennedy travels to Chappaquiddick Island, where he meets with Joe and US Attorney for Massachusetts Paul Markham (Gaffigan), for a sail race. After losing the race, Kennedy goes to a party at a beach house with his friends and the Boiler Room Girls.

Kennedy leaves the party with Mary Jo Kopechne (Mara). After a brief stop, they begin driving away and encounter a police officer from Edgartown. Kennedy accidentally drives off the Dike Bridge and into a pond. He escapes from the overturned car but is unable to rescue Mary Jo. He flees the scene and walks back to the party at the beach house. He tells his story to Gargan and Markham, who drive to the Dike Bridge and unsuccessfully attempt to enter the overturned vehicle. Gargan and Markham take a rowboat to Edgartown with Kennedy, and insist that he turn himself in to the police. Instead, he returns to his hotel room for the night.

The next morning, the overturned vehicle is discovered by a man and his son, who call the police. Police Chief Arena (Fiore) and the fire department recover Kopechne's body from the car, which they find is registered to Kennedy. Gargan and Markham realize that he has not turned himself in, and insist that he must. Kennedy goes with Markham to the Edgartown Police Department and commandeers the Chief's office waiting for his return.

After giving the Chief a prepared statement, Kennedy travels to the Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport, believing he has contained the situation. He is shocked as his stroke-disabled father Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (Dern) tells him his actions have disgraced the family, and is surprised by a damage control team led by Robert McNamara (Brown), convened to portray him in the most sympathetic manner and retain his national support. The team's strategy is to use the family's influence to delay resolution of the legal hearing until after the current news cycle, which is dominated by the landing of the first men on the Moon. As Kennedy prepares to attend Kopechne's funeral, he thinks he will gain sympathy by wearing a neck brace, but this ploy backfires in the press.

Kennedy announces that he intends to address the nation on television; he tells Gargan he intends to resign from the Senate and asks him to draft a resignation speech. Gargan, who has become increasingly disgusted with Kennedy, feeling that Kennedy is not taking responsibility for the death of Kopechne, attempts to resign. But Ted Sorensen (Nichols) has written another speech designed to elicit public sympathy for Kennedy, and Gargan is pressed to hold Kennedy's cue cards for this speech.

In the credits, it is explained that Joseph Kennedy, Sr. died soon after the incident, Gargan became estranged from the family, and Kennedy continued in the U.S. Senate for 40 years.

Cast

Production

On December 14, 2015, it was announced that Sam Taylor-Johnson would direct the film, though she later dropped out.[12] On April 25, 2016, it was announced Jason Clarke would play Ted Kennedy, with John Curran directing.[8] On July 7, 2016, Kate Mara and Ed Helms joined the cast, to play Mary Jo Kopechne and Joe Gargan, respectively.[9] On July 20, 2016, Bruce Dern was added as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.,[10] while Jim Gaffigan and Olivia Thirlby joined the cast on August 31, 2016, and principal photography began in Boston on September 7, 2016.[11]

Release

On September 8, 2017, Entertainment Studios acquired distribution rights to the film for $4 million.[13] The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10.[1] The film was initially scheduled for an awards season release, on December 8, 2017, but was moved back to April 6, 2018.[14][6] The studio spent $16 million on promotion and advertisement.[15]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Chappaquiddick was released alongside A Quiet Place, Blockers and The Miracle Season, and was projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,560 theaters in its opening weekend.[15] It ended up debuting above expectations with $5.8 million, finishing 7th at the box office. Deadline Hollywood noted it was still a low figure given Entertainment Picture's $4 million purchase of the film and their $16 million advertising campaign, although the studio itself was satisfied with the results.[16] In its second weekend the film dropped 47% to $3.1 million, finishing 10th.[17] It is currently the 8th highest-grossing independent film of 2018.[18]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 119 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Chappaquidick can't help leaving some of this true story's most intriguing questions unanswered, but it's bolstered by outstanding work from Jason Clarke in the central role."[19] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported men and women over the age of 25 (the film's largest demographic) gave it respective overall positive scores of 80% and 72%.[16]

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called the film methodical but lacking passion, writing: "It's doubtful that many Americans under the age of 40 or so even know what the name Chappaquiddick refers to, which might in itself provide solid justification for making a film about it. But the drama of the tragic July 18, 1969, accident... needed more energetic and incisive treatment than it receives in this sober, somewhat slack telling."[1]

Response by journalists and politicians

In a March 2018 interview, Byron Allen, CEO of Entertainment Studios, which distributed the film, stated that "there are some very powerful people who tried to put pressure on me not to release this movie".[21] Boston Herald journalist Howie Carr speculated that this was a reference to Chris Dodd, who had been a longtime friend and ally of Kennedy's when he served in the U.S. Senate, and had more recently been president of the Motion Picture Association of America.[22]

Liberal journalist Neal Gabler, who at the time was writing a biography of Ted Kennedy, criticized the film as a mix of "conjecture and outright fabrication". As one example, he stated, "Contrary to the film's implications, Mr. Kennedy immediately and forever after felt deep remorse and responsibility for the accident; it haunted him."[23] Similarly, longtime Kennedy aide and speechwriter Bob Shrum criticized the film for "trafficking in conspiracy theories", stating that Kennedy had never tried to cover up or minimize his responsibility for Kopechne's death.[24]

Conservative commentator Mark Steyn called Chappaquiddick an "excellent film" that shows how the "acidic glamour of power corrodes" Kennedy and many of those around him. He also stated his opinion that one exchange in the film was based on something Steyn had written: in the film, Kennedy remarks that even acclaimed historical figures, such as Moses, had personal flaws, and his cousin Joe Gargan retorts, "Moses didn't leave a girl at the bottom of the Red Sea." Steyn noted that he had written something very similar in response to a 2009 column by Joan Vennochi praising Kennedy after his death.[25]

Accolades

Year Festival Category Nominee(s) Result
2018 35th Miami International Film Festival Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Award for Best Screenplay
Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan
 Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Todd (September 10, 2017). "'Chappaquiddick' Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ Shanahan, Mark (May 11, 2018). "Neil deGrasse Tyson isn't over the moon about 'Chappaquiddick'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Chappaquiddick (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Senator (2018)". British Board of Film Classification.
  5. ↑ Pond, Steve (August 15, 2017). "Aaron Sorkin, Brie Larson, Louis CK Movies Added to Toronto Film Festival Lineup". TheWrap. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Thompson, Ann (October 20, 2017). "'Chappaquiddick' Moves Out of the Crowded Awards Season — Exclusive". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ Giles, Jeff (April 5, 2018). "A Quiet Place and Blockers Are Certified Fresh". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Busch, Anita (April 25, 2016). "Jason Clarke Cast As Ted Kennedy In 'Chappaquiddick' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Busch, Anita (July 7, 2016). "Kate Mara & Ed Helms Joining 'Chappaquiddick' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Busch, Anita (July 20, 2016). "Bruce Dern Will Portray Joe Kennedy In 'Chappaquiddick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Hipes, Patrick (August 31, 2016). "Jim Gaffigan & Olivia Thirlby Join 'Chappaquiddick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  12. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (December 14, 2015). "Sam Taylor-Johnson Finds 'Fifty Shades' Racy Follow-up In Ted Kennedy Scandal 'Chappaquiddick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  13. ↑ Busch, Anita (September 8, 2017). "'Chappaquiddick': Ted Kennedy Tragedy Movie Acquired By Byron Allen in Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  14. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (September 27, 2017). "Ted Kennedy Movie 'Chappaquiddick' Release Date Set for Dec. 8 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (April 3, 2018). "'A Quiet Place' Looks to Make Noise at Weekend Box Office". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  16. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 8, 2018). "'A Quiet Place' Screams To $50M+ Opening; 'Blockers' Breaks Through To $21M+ – Early Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  17. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 15, 2018). "The Rock Rebounds: 'Rampage' Shushes 'A Quiet Place' With $34M+ No. 1 Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ Erbland, Kate (January 9, 2018). "The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2018 (A Running List) – IndieWire". IndieWire. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Chappaquiddick (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Chappaquiddick Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  21. ↑ Brockington, Ariana (March 29, 2018). "'Chappaquiddick': 'Powerful People' Pressured Studio Not to Release Film, CEO Says". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  22. ↑ Mccallum, Martha (April 2, 2018). "Former 'Dreamer' slams Trump over immigration proposals". Fox News. Retrieved April 20, 2018. But I have to say, Martha, the most obvious suspect would be Christopher Dodd, he was a former senator from Connecticut, a good big, long-time drinking buddy and pal of Ted Kennedy. They were involved in many numerous escapades in D.C. And he later became the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, the MPAA, until last December. And I think he would be the one who would make the overture to Byron Allen to stop it.
  23. ↑ Gabler, Neal (April 6, 2018). "'Chappaquiddick' Distorts a Tragedy". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  24. ↑ McNeil, Liz (March 28, 2018). "Mary Jo Kopechne's Family on Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick: 'The Truth Has Never Really Come Out'". People. Time. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  25. ↑ Steyn, Mark (April 14, 2018). "Chappaquiddick (review)". The Mark Steyn Club. Mark Steyn Enterprises. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.