Ethel (2012) User Reviews (15)

Engaging Biography of a Woman with Few Faults

[rbsteury · 9/10 · 3 August 2012]

I just saw this at the Traverse City Film Festival. I am not a Kennedy aficionado, having some reservation about the morals of the family. But what I learned about Ethel made me admire her as possibly one of the great political wives of my time. Directed by her youngest child, Rory, the film primarily consists of an interview of Ethel and input in similar fashion from her remaining children.

Ethel is a delight; funny and insightful. Supplemented with a great deal of historical footage, it is obvious how much she loved Robert and how she influenced first him and then, after his assassination, their children. Her life was devoted to her husband, her family, her strong faith and her feeling that she had an obligation to give back to her country for her high-born status. But in addition to this, she could be acerbic, comedic and at times outrageous resulting in several political embarrassments for Robert when he was yet living. She makes few apologies. She is a real national treasure and this film gives a great appreciation for her life of quiet dignity and service. Don't miss it.

A great anchor for her family

[barryrd · 9/10 · 26 September 2013]

This is an amazing documentary, based on an interview with Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Robert Kennedy. It has extensive film footage of the public and private lives of the Kennedy family, particularly Robert and Ethel's; however, there are many views of the extended family. The interviewer is Ethel and Robert's youngest child, Rory. She does an excellent job of letting the viewer see her mother as a woman who has lived a full life with all its pain and joy. I never really knew Ethel Kennedy, although she was always a fixture in the Kennedy clan. After seeing this movie, I was moved by her honesty, her lack of pretense and her love for Bobby. She laughed at her hijinks, throwing a party for President Kennedy where the entire Cabinet ended up in the pool, or taking off on a scooter and crashing it during a trip to Rome. She talked about their two families and how they got along very well, despite being totally different. After Bobby's death, Ethel raised her children to be acutely aware of the poverty and hardship in the country and how important it is to work to overcome this divide. Her frankness was disarming. When asked about Bobby's climb of Mount Kennedy, named after his brother President Kennedy, she said, "He hated it". But he felt it was a challenge he had to take on. It was also clear that Ethel's faith is very deep and that she sees the tragic events as moments that all must encounter. In the meantime, we do what we can because we never know how long we have. Ethel Kennedy has had a long run and has done very well coping with her roller coaster life. After watching this documentary, I felt great admiration for her. I learned much about Ethel and her late husband, who I have always admired. I would gladly see this film again.

Surprisingly, very sweet

[asc85 · 9/10 · 27 October 2012]

First off, let me say that I'm not a big fan of the Kennedy family, although judging by some of the comments in the User Reviews and on the message boards for "Ethel," the fact that I don't despise them probably puts me somewhere in the middle. I wanted to see this because I thought it took the whole Kennedy mystique/angle from someone who is rarely the focus of these things...Ethel Kennedy, the wife of RFK. And there seemed to be a lot of home footage and pictures rarely seen by the public that is shown, and I found that very interesting.

But what made the film so sweet and very good to me was the commentary of all the different RFK children who are still alive. One sibling - Douglas - is not a part of the movie, and actually, I'd love to hear why that was the case. In the beginning of the movie, the rapport/interaction between the siblings and Rory (the youngest, and the director of "Ethel"), seems loving and genuine. And their affection for each other, as well as their mother and father is evident. While some have criticized the fact that they refer to their parents as "Mummy" and "Daddy" throughout the picture, I thought it humanized Ethel and RFK. While RFK was internationally renowned, and Ethel went along for the ride, in the end, they were parents who raised their children as best they could.

I've also seen criticism that this painted too rosy of a picture of the RFK clan. However, documentary filmmakers make decisions every day on what they choose to show and not show of their subjects. There have been many books, movies, TV shows criticizing the Kennedys with sensational allegations or showing some of the more tragic aspects from this family. Accordingly, I think it is appropriate to show one where the Kennedys are shown in a more favorable and "human" light.

Goose bumps Galore

[GoldmundX · 10/10 · 26 October 2012]

An amazing documentary, intimate, legendary and inspirational. The Kennedy family's history is truly without comparison: the hope, the tragedies, the passion, the idealism, the hard clashes with reality, the bonds of tragedy and love, I dare say that it is impossible to experience life more intensely than this family has. And then Ethel stands tall through it all, an amazing woman, wife and (grand- )mother, with her unfaltering smile. If it wasn't for their passion for politics and the family fortune, the Kennedies could have made a fortune in toothpaste commercials.

Apparently Ethel sat behind Obama in 2008 at a funeral, whispering in his ear: "the torch has been passed to you". How about them goose bumps?

Ethel- A Wonderful Tribute

[Irpollock · 10/10 · 20 October 2012]

A first rate documentary about Ethel Kennedy and her wonderful family. There were so many photos and videos of the family that helped to show the family at home and on the campaign trail besides historical footage of news reports that showed that time period. While I was a student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ in 1968, I worked on the Bobby Kennedy campaign and had the most wonderful time and was able to attend Bobby's speech in Camden, NJ along with other campaign workers where we were also able to see Ethel. Rory did a wonderful job of showing how loving and supportive her Mom was of her husband and what a wonderful mother she was and continues to be. Thank you for giving us an insider's view of your family.

Great Kennedy footage

[rorbach-507-476664 · 20 October 2012]

I thought the documentary was great, Ethel has had some life. Did learn some things I did not know about the family.

It has great family home movies.

Takes you back in time and made me continue to wonder what if.

If you like Kennedy family history, this will give you some great insight.

My only issue: the mummy and daddy from her children was started to really tick me off, it is nauseating. Seems forced. saying my mother and/or father would have been better! Mummy/Daddy drinking game could be good.....You would be hammered the first half hour!

Ethel- She Was No Mrs. Mertz ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 27 October 2012]

Despite that this film is an excellent documentary, at times, Mrs. Kennedy came across as being quite gruff. This ran contrary to her usual demeanor when posing for pictures with her late husband Sen. Robert Kennedy. (D-N.Y.)

That being said, Ethel Kennedy is an amazing woman. Her deep faith has allowed her to continue her life despite the numerous tragedies that befell her.

Made by her youngest daughter, Rory, the film goes through the careers of President Kennedy and his brother Robert. Ethel was quite active in both campaigns.

Surprisingly, we learn that her parents were staunch Conservative Republicans who died in a tragic plane crash.

She gave her children an excellent upbringing with structure emphasized.

The documentary is a tribute to her perseverance and commitment to social justice as she attempted to carry on that tradition of her late husband, while not letting the tragedies of her life overcome her.

She is certainly a stalwart among women.

Excellent

[ricramey2000 · 9/10 · 10 March 2021]

Loved this documentary. I learned many things about the family that was fun and funny about RFK's entire family. Loved their family humor. Terrific job Rory!

Bobby's Girl

[Lejink · 6/10 · 16 February 2017]

I'm not sure that Robert Kennedy's widow, Ethel really deserves the biographical treatment she gets here which might explain why the director and principal interviewer here is her own daughter Rory. The film focuses almost entirely on her relationship with her assassinated husband, giving just a few scant minutes to her life after his death in 1968. There's no question about her depth of feeling for him, after all they had eleven children together and all the surviving children (sadly, two of them have pre-deceased her at young ages) chime in with their memories of their parents.

Containing rare footage of their family at play as well as clips of Robert and Ethel's side-by-side career in public life, the film employed a traditional back-to-front approach to tell its story in order. With Ethel cast as the little woman behind her man, her task it appears was to run their household, bring up their children and support her man on his various campaign trails.

As you might imagine from the home-made aspect of the film, there's not a lot of criticism or investigative questioning of the lives and careers of the Kennedys senior. Admittedly it was impossible to ignore Robert's early support for Joseph McCarthy's Communist witch-hunt as well as his admitting to initially supporting the war in Vietnam, but RFK always seemed big enough to admit his mistakes and more than most politicians, play his audiences straight. Maybe that's why it's sometimes said his death affected subsequent American history even more than his brother's. The film is similarly adulatory about his big brother Jack, but again there's no mention of JFK's philandering, or the Bay of Pigs fiasco to name but two and wasn't Bobby rumoured to be a lover of Marilyn Monroe too?

The malign influence of J Edgar Hoover barely gets mentioned and likewise other important figures of the time like LBJ, Martin Luther King and Jackie Kennedy are only fleetingly mentioned. I must admit too I cringed at all and sundry referring to their parents as "Mummy" and "Daddy" throughout.

Still alive as I write, the lady is wearing well and it's noticeable she never remarried, unlike Jackie. Overall, she appears to have been a good wife and mother, although other than her relationship to her sadly gone-too-soon husband, I think it's pushing it a little to justify a 90 minute tribute like this in her honour.

So informative

[sateigdraleah · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

This was one of the best documentaries that I have ever scene.

What a white wash

[mls4182 · 2/10 · 7 May 2022]

You'd learn more about the Kennedy's watching the Netflix Sinatra bio.

Good lord, what a homely family. Their attempts at humor are painful.

Don't they realize their cache is long gone? The obvious photo ops by RFK became disturbing.

Middle aged people calling their parents mummy will make your skin crawl.

Interesting on many levels

[lauraj-48063 · 14 February 2022]

I have always been interested in all things Kennedy- the scandals, the large families, the tragic and abrupt endings many of them faced. Ethel was refreshing, offering a look at another Kennedy wife other than Jackie. What a strong woman, certainly respected by her children. Another reviewer commented that the excessive use of the way the adult children referred to their parents as "mummy" and "daddy" was off-putting and odd. I would agree with that. However, what bothered me most was the omission of the elephant in the room. Nothing was mentioned of RFK's multiple affairs and how it affected Ethel and the children. It was as if it never existed. I understand that it is unpleasant, and something Rory would rather not mention about her father, but the womanizing of the Kennedy men was a big deal to many, and I feel as if responsible journalism calls for it to be addressed. I would have liked to have seen more about how exactly she raised 11 children alone and more about her life after his death. Why did she never remarry? The documentary was entitled Ethel, yet I feel as if the majority of it was about the woman married to RFK and their life together. Certainly a great deal of her life remained after his death, and would have liked more of that.

Creepy people

[FKintheCoffee · 2/10 · 29 August 2021]

I found this a hard watch, too creepy watching grown adults calling their parents Mommy and Daddy. Honestly, that overshadowed everything else in the film.

Suffer through the first half, as the second half is worth it.

[SeriousJest · 5/10 · 14 November 2012]

The first half of this film is a very in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the Kennedys...great if you're related to them by blood or friendship, or if you're a Kennedyphile...I am not. I felt like I could not relate to these rich, privileged white people, and I was flat-out bored. However, the second half focused heavily on RFK's accomplishments and sacrifices, and what made him tick. Certain anecdotes about lessons he taught his kids and his reasons for running for office made me wish more of our leaders were like him. Ethel's strength and contribution to the family were also striking, but this documentary is really much more compelling as an insider's view of RFK. I concluded that this film was worth watching because I don't think you'll be able to find this perspective and unique knowledge about RFK and his family in any other film. If you can suffer through the first half, the second half will be worth it.

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If it's not a drinking game, it should be...

[clfuller-04280 · 5/10 · 9 April 2024]

It's certainly a Kennedy narrative of the Kennedy family. While Ethel has some reverence, especially to her children, she is a bit the bipolar matriarch and is either quite pleasant or flat out crotchety to questions. They do well to sell the story of the democratic family with mass wealth and an agenda that it is, it's everyone else's responsibility to care for the less fortunate. They never really gave up anything up, as you will see, for said fight but they really ring their bell. While the family name did play a role in some significant history, good and bad, beyond Bobby and Jack, the rest were actually by proximity only, but they try to take a lot of credit. This rather long documentary should really be a drinking game and when mommy and daddy is said, toss one back and prepare to be utterly wasted in about 20 min.