THE LAST DAY OF RFK IN `BOBBY'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

Emilio Estevez clearly reveres Robert F. Kennedy. But he has a strange way of showing it.

In his inventive yet often mundane ensemble picture ``Bobby,'' the writer-director follows the dramas of 22 different people at L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel on June 4, 1968 -- where the presidential candidate would be assassinated a little after midnight.

The movie offers generous portions of RFK footage and recordings, all of which show him in an admirable light. But the most intriguing aspect of ``Bobby'' -- until that climactic California primary victory speech and fateful walk through the kitchen -- is focused on people who only care peripherally about this pivotal Vietnam-era run for the White House.

Yes, there are some campaign workers (Joshua Jackson, Nick Cannon) who are all strategy and policy, but we have more fun with a couple

of young volunteers (Shia La-

Beouf, Brian Geraghty) who get sidetracked by an acid-dealing hippie (Ashton Kutcher, cartoony but hilarious).

But the film's most affecting mini-dramas are about the issues of the times, which operate here pretty independently of all the election business buzzing around the grand hotel. In the film's most natural performance, Lindsay Lohan plays a young woman who's marrying a guy (Elijah Wood) only because, if he's drafted, a family man would be less likely to get sent to the war zone.

Behind the scenes

In that busy hotel kitchen, two Latino bus-men (Freddy Rodriguez and Jacob Vargas, the only other cast members who aren't constantly letting us know that they're capital-A Acting) deal with unfair working conditions, a racist boss (Christian Slater) and slam-

bang lectures about prejudice management from the African-American sous chef (Laurence Fishburne).

Demi Moore plays a stereotype, too, but she does some divalicious, fun things with her alcoholic lounge singer (her hairpieces alone are a show in themselves). Estevez plays her long-suffering husband.

Filmed partially at the Ambassador just before it was demolished, ``Bobby'' is unquestionably the most ambitious thing Estevez has ever written or directed. Tones and attitudes of the era feel more or less authentic, though idealistic, considering how contentious and cynical a year 1968 was.

Estevez wants to imply that Kennedy had something to give every American (Republicans, perhaps, excepted), but too few of the people in this movie are brought fully enough to life. Even those who may agree with a lot of RFK's positions may find the whole Kennedy-worshipping mind-set just plain weird. Would we have a better country if RFK had gone on to beat Nixon that fall? Maybe, but we can only speculate; ``Bobby,'' like most acts of faith, has no doubt.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

[e-mail]

BOBBY - Two and one stars

(R: violence, drug use, language, adult situations)

Starring: Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Nick Cannon, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood.

Director: Emilio Estevez.

Running time: 1 hr. 51 min.

Playing: ArcLight, Hollywood.

In a nutshell: Movie nirvana for liberal sentimentalists, otherwise baffling mixture of pointless and compelling mini-dramas set at L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel the day Robert F. Kennedy was shot there.

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Emilio Estevez is Tim Fallon and Demi Moore is his alcoholic lounge singer wife in ``Bobby,'' which relives the day Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel.