Political scandals are a daily reality we have to live with thanks to the current occupants of the White House, so it’ll be interesting to see if audiences show up for a movie about one that impacted a politician people actually liked. Chappaquiddick stars Jason Clarke as Senator Ted Kennedy, who in 1969 left a late night party and drove off a one-lane bridge right into the channel. While he survived, his companion, young campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne, wasn’t so fortunate.
John Curran (Tracks) directs the film which attempts to unveil the truth of what happened that tragic evening. In the days that followed, Kennedy would face scrutiny for waiting more than 10 hours before reporting the accident, and then stonewalling the police investigation at every turn. Kate Mara plays Kopechne, with Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, Taylor Nichols, Olivia Thirlby, Clancy Brown, and Bruce Dern co-starring as various Kennedy confidantes who helped keep him out of too much trouble.
Chappaquiddick opens April 6th.
