Chappaquiddick Parent Guide

Joseph P. Kennedy was a self-made millionaire by the age of thirty. Although he had ties to the American Democratic Party, and even served as an ambassador, much of his life’s ambition was to groom his four sons for political office. Both blessed and cursed in this endeavor, his first son Joseph Jr. gave his life for his country during WWII. The second, John F. became President, but was assassinated in 1963. Robert (Bobby), after serving as a U.S. Senator and the Attorney General, met a similar fate in 1968 while running for the presidency. And the last, Edward (Ted) became a representative for the state of Massachusetts in 1962 and was on track for a presidential bid in 1972 – until the fateful events of July 18, 1969.

While most of the world watches the Apollo 11 rocket heading for the moon in fulfillment the late Pres. J.F. Kennedy’s challenge, Senator Ted Kennedy (played by Jason Clarke) heads to Martha’s Vineyard for a sailing competition. Part of the festivities include a house party with a group of single women who have worked on previous Kennedy campaigns.

After an evening of smoking and drinking, the married Ted leaves the gathering in the company of one of those girls, Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). Later that evening, the senator and the secretary accidentally drive off a bridge near the island town of Chappaquiddick. Ted somehow escapes the capsized car; Mary Jo does not. Yet instead of reporting the incident to the local authorities, the flustered politician flounders around, seeking, but not really taking, help from close friends, family and lawyers. Still, he does appear to realize that his career ambitions are drowning along with his vehicle and its twenty-eight-year-old passenger.

This dramatization of what has become known as the Chappaquiddick Incident, does a pretty good job of reminding a new generation of the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and the reasons why there is little evidence to be examined in the case. However, it doesn’t shine much light on the murky details or explain Kennedy’s inaction. And it never really attempts to address the nagging, unanswered questions. (Perhaps that is due to an absence of facts.)

Instead the script seems to be an exploration of Ted’s inner turmoil. It examines the effects of living in the shadow of his over-achieving family, and the expectations of his demanding father (Bruce Dern). It depicts the growing rift between Ted and his loyal cousin Joe Gargan (Ed Helms), which breaks into a fistfight at one point. And it delves into the way partisan support and top legal aid can help the privileged escape consequences.

The film contains a smattering of swearing and two uses of a sexual expletive, along with some brief disturbing depictions of the trapped woman and the later portrayal of her corpse. While this content may make it unsuitable for young viewers, they likely won’t be attracted to this slow moving, slice of history anyway.

As Ted navigates the choppy waters threatening his reputation, he is want to say, “I need to tell the truth—or my version of it anyway”. That one-sided, constructed perspective may also be what is wrong with the film. After its 101 minute runtime, I’m still no more satisfied with the conclusion of this affair than the justice system should have been all those years ago.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.