Parkland
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
JFK movie captures mood but omits a great deal; some blood.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
12+
Report this review
Set the expectations low and you'll have a good time
Report this review
What's the Story?
In November 1963, President John F. Kennedy is visiting Dallas, and everyone is excited. But when he's shot, people experience different reactions. A hospital staff (Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, Colin Hanks) tries to save him. Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) films the motorcade with his new motion picture camera and finds himself in possession of valuable evidence. A Secret Service agent (Billy Bob Thornton) tries to deal with the fact that he and his men failed in their jobs. An FBI agent (Ron Livingston) realizes that he could have captured the shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, in advance. And the killer's brother, Robert Oswald (James Badge Dale), tries to come to terms with this deadly, shocking act.
Is It Any Good?
Rookie writer/director Peter Landesman initially had a great idea for PARKLAND. He wanted to make a kind of "rarities and 'B'-sides" collection and retell the story of the Kennedy assassination through the eyes of the minor players. But he doesn't really connect these stories other than through the tragedy itself -- and, taken separately, none of the stories has any great depth.
It's interesting seeing amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder portrayed onscreen, especially by Giamatti, but his story arc is a little disappointing -- he tries to find a place to quickly develop and copy the film but then just as quickly sells it to LIFE magazine. The story of Lee Harvey Oswald's brother, Robert, is more interesting and might have made a good feature by itself, but again, there's too little here. The hospital sequence is probably the least useful, decorated by escalated blood and gore, giving the talented Harden nothing to do, and giving the lifeless Efron too much.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the effect that violence has on Parkland's characters. How do they react? How does the bloody/gory hospital scene fit into the movie?
Does this movie give an idea of who Kennedy was? Or is it more about how he affected people? What's the difference? How does this movie compare to any other JFK movies you may have seen?
Two of the characters are interested in making money from the tragedy. How does the movie view them?
Who are the bravest and noblest of the characters? Are they role models? What can you learn from them?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 4, 2013
- On DVD or streaming: November 5, 2013
- Cast: James Badge Dale, Paul Giamatti, Zac Efron
- Director: Peter Landesman
- Studio: Exclusive Media
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: History
- Run time: 93 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: bloody sequences of ER trauma procedures, some violent images and language, and smoking throughout
- Last updated: April 2, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Political Movies
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate