Taking on the Kennedys

"One Man's Race Against a Political Dynasty."

1996 0h 52m EN

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

What would it be like to run against one of the most powerful political families in America? Enter the backrooms of American politics as a doctor named Kevin Vigilante takes on the Kennedys. In his first race for public office, Kevin Vigilante challenges Ted Kennedy's youngest son, Patrick, and gets the political education of a lifetime. Dedicated to running a clean fight, Vigilante soon finds himself in the midst of a mud slinging contest. With negative ads about Vigilante filling the airwaves, and John F. Kennedy Jr. signing autographs outside polling stations, Vigilante realizes he has no chance of winning without slinging mud of his own, and proceeds to take off his gloves. Endemic of contemporary campaign politics, the sound byte takes precedence over the speech as issues are overshadowed by negative television advertisements. Taking on the Kennedys aired as a part of PBS' P.O.V. series.

“One Man's Race Against a Political Dynasty.”

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Cast

Tom Kemp
Narrator (voice)
Kevin Vigilante
Self
Patrick Joseph Kennedy
Self
Ted Kennedy
Self
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Self
Caroline Kennedy
Self
Robert F. Kennedy
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joshua Seftel
Writers: Joshua Seftel
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 52-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tom Kemp and Kevin Vigilante and Patrick Joseph Kennedy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One Man's Race Against a Political Dynasty.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0117824 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joshua Seftel directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 52-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Tom Kemp and Kevin Vigilante and Patrick Joseph Kennedy carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "One Man's Race Against a Political Dynasty.".
6IMDB entry: tt0117824 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.