Critic Reviews

Bobby Kennedy is straightforward but layered, exploring the intersection of political ambition and moral principle with riveting complexity. [27 Apr - 4 May 2018, p.98]

A complicated and frequently insightful look at a man who could have been president and whose assassination was one of the last nails in the coffin of '60s idealism.

Bobby Kennedy for President is not a definitive work. Yes, it has been carefully researched and is a very useful and important compilation of materials about who RFK was and what he did. In doing so, it captures the appeal of the man, especially to a generation looking desperately for a leader who would bring the nation peace, within its borders and elsewhere.

Though the sheer bulk of it all can make digging through individual episodes a bit dense, the structure is clear enough to keep drawing you in, especially when it hurts.

The danger in any documentary about a political figure is that it will glorify him too much, but Porter mostly keeps that impulse in check. While Kennedy is certainly treated with great reverence, his flaws and shortcomings are not ignored. ... As intimate as these moments are, we only get so close to the real Robert Kennedy in the docuseries.

Exhaustive, admiring, comprehensive and richly documented, Bobby Kennedy for President nevertheless doesn't feel especially revelatory.

Throughout, Bobby Kennedy for President provides information and sometimes fascinating film clips without ever giving us much of a sense of its subject, who remains a Don Draper-like cipher.