Bobby

Brat-packer Emilio Estevez, who dropped off the planet a decade ago, makes a spectacular comeback with the absorbing Bobby, which he both wrote and directed.

Rather than detailing the life and assassination of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy (seen only in fuzzy news footage), the ambitious film focuses on 23 diverse people who worked or were staying at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles at the time of the murder on June 4th, 1968.

The stunning ensemble cast includes impressive performances by Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, (Estevez' ex-fianc�) Demi Moore, Elijah Wood, Lindsay Lohan, Heather Graham, William H. Macy, Christian Slater, Helen Hunt, and (Estevez' father) Martin Sheen. But the standouts are Laurence Fishburne as a wise chef, Sharon Stone as a beautician, and Ashton Kutcher -- providing some comic relief -- as an acid-tripping hippie.

Though a few of the characters at first seem unnecessary, their significance becomes clear upon the tragic conclusion when four of them also fall victim to the shooting rampage. But the film remains easy to follow despite the intertwined storylines, which serve to create a microcosm of American society during the turmoil of the 1960's.

After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., many viewed Bobby Kennedy as America's last hope for peace and justice. Though Bobby's untimely death shattered the hope of millions of Americans, his ideals remain as valid today as they were nearly 40 years ago. Bobby is both uplifting and sad, but the saddest part of all is that we'll never know how much better the world might have been had he lived.

Estevez' subtle and low-key script conveys the euphoria and sense of optimism surrounding Kennedy's bid for president, while confronting such issues as civil rights, Vietnam, education, poverty, pollution, violence and drugs.

Filmed on location at the real hotel (while the landmark was being demolished), the vignettes are fast-paced and tightly edited. The period hair, makeup and costuming is excellent, and the proceedings are accented by a delightfully nostalgic soundtrack.

In a year that will become known for offering the most uninspired and boring collection of films Bobby is, unquestionably, the best. Rating: 9 out of 10.