Profiles in Chivas. Instead of following in brother Jack’s footsteps, Teddy Kennedy (Jason Clarke) shepherds a pair of waterlogged loafers to shore. The Fredo Corleone of Hyannis Port and indulged son of Joe Kennedy (Bruce Dern, horrifyingly effective as a monster ghastlier than any Hollywood has yet to fabricate), Teddy was guilty of vehicular manslaughter and lying to the police. When the truth went public, his punishment was the longest Senatorial career in history. The script calls for Teddy to run the coverup as he would a presidential campaign; screenwriters Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan invent seemingly valid dialogue for scenes that no one but the participants were privy to. Frosty, unsympathetic, Clarke acts the part of the victim with guileless poise, whether sporting a neck brace or being distracted by a television playing Davy and Goliath. It’s as though director John Curran (The Painted Veil, Tracks) stung him with a hammer each time he called “Action!” It’s much better than the TV movie we all feared. (2018) — Scott Marks
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