Natalie Portman plays Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s death, and she makes that period feel both intimate and enormous. “Jackie” is a 2016 film directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Noah Oppenheim, and it runs 100 minutes. The movie is built on a single conversation: a journalist visits the widow at her home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to ask about her husband’s legacy. What follows is a portrait of a woman holding herself together while the country around her falls apart.
Portman’s performance is the engine of the film. She plays Jackie as a woman who moves between two versions of herself: the polished public figure and the exhausted, grieving wife. The movie lets us see both at once, and Portman carries that tension across every scene. Peter Sarsgaard plays Robert Kennedy, and John Hurt plays the priest, a role that became Hurt’s final film release before his death in January 2017.
Trailer, via SearchlightPictures.
Portman’s Two Versions of Jackie
The film opens with Jackie reflecting on her 1962 televised tour of the White House. That tour was a moment of public triumph, and the movie uses it as a hinge. After the assassination, the journalist turns to questions about the murder of her husband. Jackie describes her shock and horror in reaction, and the film lingers on those feelings rather than rushing past them.
Portman’s work here is technical as well as emotional. She trained with dialect coach Tanya Blumstein to mimic Jackie’s vocal range, and she studied videos, tapes, and books to build the performance. She described her initial knowledge of Kennedy as a “superficial understanding of [Kennedy] as a fashion plate,” but through the film she found depth beneath that surface.
One of the most striking scenes shows Jackie speaking to Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. in the early part of 1964. Portman captures the difference between Jackie’s public voice and her private one. “When she was doing interviews, [her voice] was a lot more girly and soft, and then when you hear her talking to Schlesinger at home, you hear the ice in the glass clinking and the voice is a little deeper and her wit comes out more, so you get this real sense of the two sides.”
The Journalist’s Visit
The journalist’s visit is the spine of the film. He asks about John F. Kennedy’s legacy, and Jackie responds by talking about events shortly before the assassination. She describes her shock and horror in reaction, and the film lingers on those feelings rather than rushing past them. The structure forces Jackie to speak directly about the loss, and Portman delivers those lines with a mix of grief and control.
Billy Crudup plays the journalist, and he gives the character a quiet presence. His questions push Jackie toward the truth, but he never presses too hard. The film trusts the audience to sit with silence, and that trust pays off.
Robert, Lyndon, and the Family
Robert Kennedy appears early in the film and stays with Jackie through the funeral planning. He shares her grief, escorts her back to Washington, D.C., and helps plan the funeral. Portman and Sarsgaard play off each other with a chemistry that makes their bond feel real. The film shows the two siblings leaning on each other during a time when everyone else seemed distant.
Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird appear as comforters aboard Air Force One. Beth Grant plays Lady Bird, and John Carroll Lynch plays Lyndon. Their scenes are brief but effective. The film uses these characters to show how Jackie was surrounded by people who wanted to help, even as she felt isolated.
The Funeral Planning
The funeral is a major event in the film, and Portman handles the pressure of it with grace. She is seen struggling to sleep and becoming reliant on medications and alcohol. She also seeks spiritual counsel from the priest, played by John Hurt. These scenes show Jackie’s vulnerability without losing the strength that defined her.
Robert, along with President Johnson, Lady Bird, and members of the White House, witness the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby on live television. Robert insists that Jackie not be informed of this by anyone but himself. He tells her when he feels the time is right, but she finds out almost immediately and condemns him for withholding it from her.
Minor Roles and Historical Figures
The film includes a number of historical figures in minor and non-speaking roles. Admiral George Burkley, Dr. John Walsh, Judge Sarah T. Hughes, Governor John Connally, Nellie Connally, John Metzler, Charles Collingwood, Charles de Gaulle, Pablo Casals, Robert McNamara, Hugh Auchincloss, James C. Auchincloss, Jack Brooks, Toni Bradlee, Benjamin Bradlee, Ted Kennedy, Joan Kennedy, Pat Kennedy, Peter Lawford, Eunice Kennedy, Sargent Shriver are all represented. These cameos add texture to the world, even though most of them don’t get lines.
Production and Reception
The film premiered on September 7, 2016, at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion. It was theatrically released in the United States on December 2, 2016, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received three nominations at the 89th Academy Awards: Best Actress for Portman, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design.
“Jackie” is the first film in Larraín’s trilogy of iconic 20th century women. The series continued with Spencer (2021) and Maria (2024).
The Weight of the Moment
What makes “Jackie” work is its refusal to sentimentalize its subject. Jackie is a grieving woman, but she is also a political animal. The film understands that these two things were never separate, and it shows both without turning one into a caricature of the other.
The movie is not interested in cheap spectacle. It is interested in the interior work of grief, and it trusts Portman to carry that weight. Her performance is a major reason the film works, and it stands as one of her finest turns.
The Final Word
“Jackie” is a demanding film, and it rewards attention. It is not an easy watch, but it is a necessary one. Portman gives a performance that will be talked about for years, and the film around her is carefully constructed.
Here is how the pieces rank:
- Portman’s performance
- The structure of the journalist’s visit
- The supporting performances, led by Sarsgaard and Hurt
- The historical detail and its handling of cameos
- The production design and costume work
The film is not perfect. Some of the minor roles feel like cameos rather than characters, and the pacing can drag in stretches. But the core is strong, and the result is a portrait of a woman who changed history and was changed by it.
“Jackie” is a film about power, grief, and the way people carry themselves through the worst moments. It is a demanding watch, and it is one of the best performances of the decade.
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