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LBJ-OK

There's a curious moment in "LBJ," the biopic of 36^th US president Lyndon Johnson, when Attorney General Robert Kennedy scoffs about his brother John Kennedy's vice president having adopted the habit of using three initials as his moniker. The scornful Bobby opines, "He's trying to be like JFK. But he'll never be a JFK...or an FDR." But history is telling, and here we are fifty-plus years later with a film that explores the terrible day of Kennedy's assassination that led to Johnson becoming the President of the United States, as well as the tense weeks and months that preceded it, and darned if the film isn't titled using those three initials. So, did Johnson earn the right to be known by his monogram? Should he be thought of in the company of such presidential greats as JFK and FDR? Is the film successful in making that case?

Well, yes, after a fashion. "LBJ" plays like something of a greatest hits, a stroll through The Quotable Lyndon B. Johnson. It's an engaging historical review, but it doesn't provide the access that one might be craving; there's little insight into what made Johnson tick. Facets are revealed, through the observations of those around him, as when wife Ladybird (Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight") reminisces that upon introducing her future husband to the family her father remarked that after dating boys she'd "finally brought home a man," or when liberal northerner Bobby is asked about his antagonism toward Johnson and drily remarks, "We see the world differently." But these are outside perspectives; there's not much here that reveals Johnson's inner life.

Still, "LBJ" is a solid look at a fascinating period in US history. We've seen "Thirteen Days," which focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, and "JFK," dealing primarily with the legal aftereffects of the Kennedy assassination, but neither focused on the particular details of the tragic transfer of power from Kennedy to Johnson. The narrative here isn't linear; it hooks us with the lead up to what we all know is going to happen at Dealey Plaza, then hops back to Kennedy's presidential campaign to introduce the players and explore the relationships, ambitions, and tensions among them, the foremost of these being the divide between the Kennedys as wealthy Massachusetts liberals and Johnson as a plain-speaking, common-man Texan.

Woody Harrelson ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri") offers an uncharacteristically studied performance as Johnson, and it's odd that the actor is a native Texan but his accent as LBJ still occasionally seems put on, particularly in the earlier scenes. He's not helped by inconsistent makeup and sometimes awkward-looking prosthetics, though there are moments in certain light where he looks eerily like Johnson. And the script is deft, but also tends to play like it's just pushing forward to set up the next quote; on that subject, all the classics are here, so do be prepared for the - pardon us - bunghole moment.

Embedded in this interesting but not groundbreaking film is one performance that does show us something new. Michael Stahl-David plays Bobby Kennedy as a whip-smart terrier with an aggressive edge who's more than ready to clash with all comers in defense of his older, steadier brother John. Based on this portrayal it's interesting to wonder if the loss of his brother is what galvanized Bobby to develop the poise and depth necessary to mount his own for his own campaign for president before being assassinated in 1968.

A similar shift in approach and perception was needed in order for Johnson to assume the mantle of the presidency immediately after JFK's death without appearing to be an opportunist. The film frames this struggle effectively, showing Johnson making the astute assessment that the country would need to view him in a certain light in order to accept his leadership. "LBJ" definitely sees Johnson as a hero with the country's best interests at heart and closes in the wake of his quietly authoritative speech to Congress just five days after JFK's death. As history lessons go, "LBJ" isn't a bad one; but we're still waiting for the film that will focus on Johnson as more than just an accidental heir to the Kennedy legacy.