Taking on the Kennedys

It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, all politics are dirty politics. If nothing else, this modest documentary -- concerning Republican Kevin Vigilante's mid-90s congressional run against youthful Democrat, Patrick Kennedy -- proves that point. Taking on the Kennedys doesn't deal with political issues, it deals with the increasingly strategic process of pursuing political office in the United States.

This absence of political content may explain the appeal of Kevin Vigilante, one of the least off-putting Republicans in recent memory. Representing all the qualities his party mocks, Vigilante is likable, idealistic, and almost comically dedicated to the truth (whether it benefits him or not). Take this comment to a local reporter, for example: "I never used any cocaine. Or heroin. And I never purchased any. I did smoke marijuana in college."

While Patrick Kennedy has matured and evolved as a politician in recent years, he comes across as lightweight, robotic, and totally out-of-his-element in this film. His political inexperience is the source of several hilariously embarrassing, uncomfortable moments, the kind you can only find in non-fiction films. Watch Kennedy's panicked reaction as Vigilante creeps up behind him in the middle of an "unconscionable" personal attack. The look on his face is priceless.

In his commentary, director Joshua Seftel explains that he met Vigilante while shooting a documentary about Romanian orphans (the admirably philanthropic Dr. Vigilante was helping the orphans in a medical capacity). Upon learning of Vigilante's candidacy, Seftel volunteered to help with his campaign. However, upon learning (much to his surprise) that Vigilante was a Republican, he decided to observe the campaign, rather than assist it. These complicated allegiances -- to a friend and a conflicting party -- help Seftel craft a fair and honest film that isn't visibly partisan. In fact, when all was said and done, both candidates appreciated the documentary.

The best feature on this disc is The Real Russell, a humorous, 13 minute short film about Bob Dole's struggling hometown (Russell, Kansas) that CBS commissioned Seftel to make during the 1996 presidential race. The image quality is extremely poor as this is a rough cut completed just before CBS pulled the plug on the project. According to Seftel's commentary on The Real Russell, CBS was reluctant to air a program that featured two of their employees breaking into Bob Dole's house.

There's a number of other brief supplements on this disc: an outtake from election night, an interview with director Joshua Seftel, a TV ad for the program (airing as part of PBS's POV series), a filmmaker bio, trailers for other Docurama releases, and a brief making-of featurette that is really just an interview with Seftel's supportive parents. They claim that they've seen the film many times and explain that Taking on the Kennedys was named one of the best television programs of 1996 by TIME magazine.

Lastly, Docurama includes several campaign commercials for each of the candidates, many of which are excerpted in the documentary itself. I'm surprised more documentaries of this kind (ie. The War Room) haven't attempted this on DVD before. It's a great idea.

Although Taking on the Kennedys is only about an hour long, it's an extremely enjoyable hour. With the addition of several entertaining and unusual features, this disc is an unexpected treat. -- Jonathan Doyle