The weekend of April 7 represented another of those arid periods during which Hollywood releases little or nothing worth my time, effort, or expense. If “Chappaquiddick” had been playing near me, I might have considered it, but I confess to several qualms about the film.
I was first aware of the film from advertisements on The PBS NewsHour, which is not a venue where I expect movie ads. I don’t recognize many of the cast members, but I did recognize Bruce Dern playing Joseph Kennedy. That alone would have interested me, but I don’t know how large Dern’s role is.
I still remember the original incident at Chappaquiddick, even though it was overshadowed by the first moon landing. We will never know if Edward Kennedy would have attained the presidency without the ghost of Mary Jo Kopechne stalking his every step, but the incident certainly affected the American political situation for decades.
If the film goes into wide release, I may try to catch it, but, until then, I will have to wait for “Avengers: Infinity War” which is coming on April 23. I may have to sustain myself with Dwayne Johnson’s “Rampage,” but I am not overly anxious to see what resembles nothing more than another version of “King Kong.”