Chappaquiddick Movie Review

Chappaquiddick (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Taylor Allen, Andrew Logan
Directed by: John Curran
Starring: Jason Clarke, Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, Kate Mara, Bruce Dern
Rated: PG-13

Plot
Scandal surrounds the tragic drowning of a young campaign strategist, with Ted Kennedy's involvement in the accident in question and his political ambitions for President teetering.

Verdict
This is a solid true life story and it just reinforces culture today. The rich can get away with just about anything. This leaves some big questions open, but there's no way to know the truth. We get an unlikable character that has the arrogance to think he knows best, the connections to subvert the law, and a complete lack of empathy for anyone else. It's a fascinating history lesson, and a primer on how to handle scandal.
Watch it.

Review
Ted Kennedy served in the Senate for forty years, taking over the seat vacated by his brother John upon being elected President. The incident depicted in this film hindered his chance at running for President, though he did lose the 1980 democratic primary to Jimmy Carter.

I didn't like the beginning of this movie because we get two introductions. The first scene is a cross cut of Ted sitting down for an interview cut against him walking back from what we assume is the accident. The whole thing felt like it was added after the fact, and that was reinforced when the next scene is a more traditional introduction with a title card and credits.

This doesn't give us all the answers, because only one person knew them and that was Senator Ted Kennedy who died in 2009. The accident happens early in the movie. We're not exactly sure about his relationship with Mary Jo. The movie provides hints that get stronger as the movie continues. She and Ted left the party and the car ended up under water. Ted escapes the car, but leaves Mary Jo inside, claiming he tried to help her after swimming to the surface. This is the biggest question in the movie and the most damning piece of evidence.

If Ted escaped the car after it entered the water, why wasn't there an open door or window? In a crazy situation like that, I doubt he would shut the door behind him. If he did get out somehow, why wouldn't Mary Jo follow him? Why did he try to save her only after he "escaped" and not while he was escaping. It makes you wonder if he was ever in the car. All we have is his version of the truth, whatever that's worth. He did get two men to try to and rescue her after he passed multiple houses and walked back to his cabin.

Ted fails to report the accident, despite his cousin urging him to do so. He later provides a statement to the police and then hires a public relations team to deal with the damage. He attempts to escape all blame or responsibility with his statement. Throughout the movie, you just don't like him. From the moment of the accident he thinks about himself and his ambitions. It all comes down to him wondering, "How does this affect me." I get not wanting to face punishment, but he has no remorse, no concern. He continually looks for a way to spin things. Even his cousin Joe, who he calls a brother, is manipulated by Ted. His PR teams constantly tells him to look, not be, sympathetic. He can't be sympathetic because he's too selfish. Maybe it's the way he was raised, being a Kennedy, and part of the American Camelot. He doesn't care about the girl that died and conveniently can't remember how he escaped. His chief concern is his political ambition.

Surprisingly the movie tries to make us feel a bit of empathy for him. He's the black sheep of the Kennedy family, always toiling in the immense shadows of his brothers. While Ted was in line to be President, he didn't really want it. He was just trying to please his father. None of that excuses what he did though.

You can't help but be disgusted by Kennedy, and Jason Clarke is fantastic. Ted uses his family's wealth and influence to skirt around the law. He didn't even lose his seat in the Senate. The movie includes interviews towards the end with people defending him. Were these people dazzled by the family name or did they think they could trust his words? As I watched, all I could think was that someone without the money and legacy would have been in jail instantly. Of course, all these thoughts assume what the movie presents is true.