We’re back to Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, are we? I guess it was a fun little jaunt into revisionist (realistic?) history for a while. And sure, while physics and logic tell us at least one other person had to be involved, hey, we’re done speculatin’. And, geez Jim, Earl Warren was an Oaklander and don’t you naturally agree with all Oaklanders? Sure I do. Sure.I.Do.
The assassination story often bypasses the details of the day and goes straight to the players – Oswald, Ruby, LBJ, Jim Garrison, the Mafia, Cuba, and the tiger. Here, we’ve ignored the tiger and gone straight to Parkland Memorial Hospital where local “Doogie Howser” Dr. Charles ‘Jim’ Carrico (Zac Efron) got a little nervous with the President’s brain in his hands. Meanwhile, local fed investigator James Hosty (Ron Livingston) was busy unearthing the ignored file on Lee Harvey Oswald and G-Man Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton) wanted to know exactly what was on that piece of film shot by Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti).
How the Hell did Zapruder keep filming? Sir, you had a bright future ahead of you as an NFL cameraman had you chosen said direction.
And everybody was traumatized. That’s the feel of Parkland. And why wouldn’t you be? If you were alive and aware on November 22, 1963, that was a defining horror in your life. Even if you hated the man, this was an epic national tragedy.
The strange thing about Parkland is despite the tremendous amount of sad created in the United States that day, there is surprisingly little amount of conflict in the film. The biggest controversy following, in fact, seemed to be the local post-murder standard procedures. The Dallas coroner insisted upon an autopsy (which, in retrospect, should have taken place); the secret service invoked governmental authority and fought to wrest JFK’s body away from Parkland and Dallas ASAP. Now, I’ve never given much credence to the John F. Kennedy/Abraham Lincoln comparisons, but, hey, invoking a states’ right v. federal rights controversy within hours AFTER his death?! That’s pretty damn Lincoln in my book.
Eventually, we meet Oswald (Jeremy Strong), but we spend a great deal more time with his brother (James Badge Dale). Wait, he has a brother? Yeah, my picture of Oswald is so wrapped in the nutjob lone-wolf, wife-beating, Soviet-defecting narrative, I often forget he actually came from somewh
ere. Parkland gives us a brother who invokes the spirit of Oliver Hardy’s “well here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into,” and a mother (Jacki Weaver) who is batshit crazy. Neither brother nor mother seems to have trouble believing Lee shot Kennedy, and mom thinks Lee a hero (secretly working for the United States government), and should be buried alongside Kennedy. (FWIW, I tried to research “assassins buried next to their victims” and didn’t get very far. I imagine it isn’t very common.)
Jacki Weaver is the only one is this cast who stands out. Perhaps because she’s the only one besides Oswald who isn’t grieving, and perhaps it’s because this is the only realized character in the movie.
Parkland is a film for triviologists, not necessarily cinemaphiles. Quick – where did Abraham Zapruder work? How did they get the coffin onto Air Force 1? Name the attendee who operated on both JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald. It didn’t go into theories; it didn’t do much police work and it didn’t say anything concrete or fresh about the people we already know. But it did let us see Zac Efron lose both JFK and Oswald on the operating table. So if that question of who operated on both men ever comes up, remember to answer “Zac Efron.”
♪And so the comprehension burned
Until all hearts went down
And no conspiracies were learned
On that day
Keep feeling
Assassination
Bullets flying
Fury strong
Keep living
Assassination
Looking for Lee
Where’s he gone? ♫
Rated PG-13, 93 Minutes
D: Peter Landesman
W: Peter Landesman
Genre: History lesson
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: JFK enthusiasts
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: The Secret Service
♪ Parody inspired by “(Keep Feeling) Fascination”
