Film Review: ‘Parkland’ Starkly Recreates November 22, 1963

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CHICAGO – It’s been close to 50 years since 11/22/1963, the day when a certain American innocence was lost with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In time for that anniversary, is the excellent film overview entitled “Parkland.”

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Parkland” is also the name of the hospital in Dallas, Texas, that Kennedy was taken to after an assassin’s bullet severed half his skull. The film focuses on that hospital’s emergency staff, the president’s bodyguards, the brother of accused gunman Lee Harvey Oswald and dressmaker Abraham Zapruder – an innocent home moviemaker who captured the most crucial eight seconds of the assassination, including the fatal headshot. The film, written and directed by Peter Landesman and produced by Tom Hank’s Playtone Company, is a precisely and reverently done history lesson as to the events and chaos that surrounded the street shooting of a modern president. The cast is up to the challenge of the re-creation, and there are several standouts, including the always intuitive Paul Giamatti as Zapruder. Whether you know everything about that unforgettable day, or nothing at all, “Parkland” is a stark reminder of the human element of tragedy in history.

The staff at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, is going through a routine late autumn day in November, 1963. Nurse Doris Nelson (Marcia Gay Harden) and Dr. Jim Carrico (Zac Efron) carry on with their emergency room duties, while the city itself is excited by the visit and a motorcade through town by President and Mrs. Kennedy. The normalcy of the day is shattered when Kennedy is shot, and the emergency destination is Parkland Hospital.

The events of that trauma start to unfold. Dr. Carrico and Nurse Nelson are the attendants in the ER working to revive the limp body of the president. In downtown Dallas, dress manufacturer Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) thinks he caught the assassination on film, which interests Dallas Secret Service officer Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton). A suspect named Lee Harvey Oswald is apprehended, and his brother Robert (James Badge Dale) tries to protect the family name. At the FBI office in Dallas, Agent James Hosty (Ron Livingston) may have previously met the alleged killer. The death of a president and the events associated with it occur in a long four days in American history.

”Parkland” opens in various U.S. locations on October 4th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Zac Efron, Paul Giamatti, Marcia Gay Harden, Ron Livingston, Billy Bob Thorton and James Badge Dale. Written and directed by Peter Landesman. Rated “PG-13”

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of ”Parkland”

Marcia Gay Harden, Zac Efron
Nurse Nelson (Marcia Gay Harden) and Dr. Carrico (Zac Efron) in the ER at ‘Parkland’
Photo credit: Exclusive Media Group

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of ”Parkland”

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