Starring ‘acting queen’ Natalie Portman and additional talented cast members that include Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, John Hurt and Billy Crudup, I enjoyed taking in everything the camera focused on in director Pablo Larraín’s Jackie.

The costume and visuals in Jackie are beautiful, especially if you love the 60s aesthetic and fashions. As I watched the story of the former First Lady’s experience in the wake of her husband, John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I found myself feeling a little detached – both emotionally but mostly in terms of my enjoyment of the story structure. I couldn’t help but wonder about how much more I’d have enjoyed the film had it had a more traditional structure and been more than just about Jackie’s grief.

My specific preferences aside, Natalie Portman, of course delivered a brilliant performance. Were it up to me, I’d have handed the Best Actress Academy Award to her.

I kind of see Jackie in a similar way to the way I see American Sniper (2014). By this I mean, both films as a whole are ok, but the lead actors performances are what really makes them worth watching. Back in 2014 I was completely ready to hand the best Actor Oscar to Bradley Cooper, but then I saw Eddie Redmayne’s work in The Theory Of Everything (2014), and that was that. The rightful owner absolutely got the golden statue.

Watch Jackie because ‘Lady Portman’ is fantastic.

Happy Film loving,

G