Mar 8, 2012
I have a strong suspicion that Kevin Costner likes John F. Kennedy. I’m not sure what gives me that impression (read with a touch of sarcasm). Thirteen Days is an intriguing look into one of the scariest moments in history. We get to learn a lot about the order of events, how communication broke down, and a bit about the Kennedy Brothers themselves.
As for the Kennedy Brothers, Bruce Greenwood (Rules of Engagement, Double Jeopardy, The Lost Son) as John F. Kennedy and Steven Culp (Nurse Betty, James and the Giant Peach, Fearless) as Robert F. Kennedy were both terrific. Not only did they look similar to the famous duo, but also their portrayels felt honest and true. It didn’t take long for me to fall into the story and believe these actors were the Kennedy Brothers.
Unfortunately, any skill displayed by Greenwood and Culp was mostly over shadowed by Kevin Costner’s really bad fake accent. Why does he insist on trying to change his voice? He cannot do accents, and I find it hard to believe no one has told him this. If you saw him in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and thought his attempt at a British accent was humorous, you should get a big chuckle out of this film. The very first words out of his mouth caused the entire audience to burst in to laughter. Costner (For Love of the Game, Message in a Bottle, The Postman) plays Kenny O’Donnell, JFK’s special advisor. I’m sure history was “fixed up” a bit to glorify the role a bit for Costner, but O’Donnell serves as one of the key figures during the missile crisis. He advises the Kennedy team and saves them from multiple blunders.
Overall, “Thirteen Days” is a pretty good historical-based film. I was amazed at the veterans and their wives who left the theater weeping after the film. Several of them claiming the film was dead on. I had the honor of standing in the restroom line behind an Air Force veteran that flew as a bombardier during the crisis. I overheard him telling others about how close it really came. The military had the death notices printed up for all the bomber crews and ready to be sent out—a very scary thought. From what I witnessed of these people, it was obvious the film struck a special thread in them. To me that says a lot about the film. Unfortunately, it still starred Kevin Costner with a terrible accent.