Jackie (PG )***

Black House

Long have many Americans been jealous of the British Royal Family. Many regard the residents of the White House as the next best thing to having a king or queen. Out to breathe life into a storied first  family is Jackie. Back in time we go to the heady sixties . All it takes is a jaunt down to the Fifth Avenue Cinemas to relive a special time in U.S. history.

Of course the movie Jackie centres almost entirely in Jackie Kennedy. Determined to portray an iconic First Lady is Natalie Portman. It would be hard for anyone to play the famed Mrs. John Kennedy but Ms. Portman gives it her best shot.  Yes, there is plenty of room for showing off this iconic woman’s flair for fashion and decorating. Unfortunately the film mainly concerns itself with inner turmoil in the face of a tragic assassination.

Much focus here  relates to the machinations and behind the scenes intrigue that follow in the wake of that fateful day in Dallas. Told through an extended interview with lots of flashbacks Jackie turns out to be a pretty bleak tale of a woman trying to do things her way when the world around her seems to be closing in.

Right at the opening you can sense the foreboding nature of this doom and gloom story that really turns out to be very depressing through its sombre music. You have to be a real political  aficionado or die hard Natalie Coleman fan to endure this rather bleak ordeal.

By Alan Samuel