It's 1969 close to the moon landing. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) orders his cousin and family fixer Joseph Gargan (Ed Helms) to bring the Boiler Room Girls to a sailing regatta get-together on Martha's Vineyard. They are secretaries from his brother Bobby's ill-fated Presidential run. Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) and Rachel Schiff (Olivia Thirlby) are two of those Girls. After a night of drinking, Ted drives off a bridge with Mary Jo. She is killed while he somehow manages to escape. Joe and Paul Markham (Jim Gaffigan) come to Ted's aid but they are unable to recover Mary Jo. Ted fails to report the accident for nine hours and it becomes a tale of political PR intrigue.
The script says Based on the true story but I didn't notice that anywhere in the movie. It probably needs it, not for any legal reasons. "Based on" is synonymous to truth adjacent and this movie needs that kind of self-awareness. I'm not saying this is fabricated but there is lots that are conjecture. Teddy is shown ordering The Girls for the gathering, not just Mary Jo. He is drunk during the accident and is pushed by his dying father to get an Alibi. In a way, Ted is a figure of Greek tragedy. The biggest question for me is the accident itself. Ted magically escapes but Mary Jo is shown struggling to open the doors. The recovery reveals that all the doors are stuck and Ted's escape is never explained. My logical mind needs an explanation. Did he get ejected out of the car and the door closed from the rushing waters? Was Mary Jo actually struggling or did she get knocked out by the crash? The movie suggests that Ted escaped leaving her to slowly drown in a car filling up with water. There is lots of little turns that make me question whether it's the truth or it's the writers' fancy. Joe Sr.'s "Alibi" is definitely a conjecture. I almost don't want the classic evil old man troop but it is a way for Ted to find a bit of redemption by opposing his father. This is not a hard takedown as to be obviously slanted. It is one possible version. This is well made but there are little turns that make me wonder about some of its accuracy. I'm not sure about Clarke or Helms' portrayal. Joey is rounding up an harem in one instance and in another is the noble voice of responsibility. The truth is out there.
The script says Based on the true story but I didn't notice that anywhere in the movie. It probably needs it, not for any legal reasons. "Based on" is synonymous to truth adjacent and this movie needs that kind of self-awareness. I'm not saying this is fabricated but there is lots that are conjecture. Teddy is shown ordering The Girls for the gathering, not just Mary Jo. He is drunk during the accident and is pushed by his dying father to get an Alibi. In a way, Ted is a figure of Greek tragedy. The biggest question for me is the accident itself. Ted magically escapes but Mary Jo is shown struggling to open the doors. The recovery reveals that all the doors are stuck and Ted's escape is never explained. My logical mind needs an explanation. Did he get ejected out of the car and the door closed from the rushing waters? Was Mary Jo actually struggling or did she get knocked out by the crash? The movie suggests that Ted escaped leaving her to slowly drown in a car filling up with water. There is lots of little turns that make me question whether it's the truth or it's the writers' fancy. Joe Sr.'s "Alibi" is definitely a conjecture. I almost don't want the classic evil old man troop but it is a way for Ted to find a bit of redemption by opposing his father. This is not a hard takedown as to be obviously slanted. It is one possible version. This is well made but there are little turns that make me wonder about some of its accuracy. I'm not sure about Clarke or Helms' portrayal. Joey is rounding up an harem in one instance and in another is the noble voice of responsibility. The truth is out there.