Chappaquiddick

Almost 50 years later, Chappaquiddick provides a fresh perspective from which to view both a tragedy and a scandal that still resonates with those in a certain generation.

However, this period drama about the titular incident and its aftermath could have been more insightful and provocative instead of mostly rehashing what we already know.

The true-life story takes us back to the summer of 1969, on the same weekend when Americans were transfixed by the moon landing. Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke), a young senator from Massachusetts and the youngest brother of the late president John F. Kennedy, is on Martha’s Vineyard for a sailing regatta.

One year after the murder of his brother Bobby, Ted is undecided about following the family legacy with an upcoming run for the White House. Nevertheless, he’s entertaining some campaign workers, including a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara), who joins Ted for a late-night drive that winds up with their car flying off a bridge and becoming submerged in a pond.

Mary Jo drowns, prompting plenty of suspicious behavior from Ted and his cousin (Ed Helms) in an effort to create an alibi and spare him public ridicule and possible legal trouble.

The film mostly steers clear of politics but, to its credit, certainly isn’t sympathetic toward Ted or his handlers. The screenplay cynically yet appropriately suggests that perhaps such behavior helped give rise to the moral bankruptcy that’s so commonplace in today’s Washington landscape.

Clarke (Terminator: Genisys), an Australia native, looks the part but never quite masters the tricky New England accent. Still, his performance captures the inner turmoil of a man coming to terms with the past and also the future. Ted very much fits the profile of a Kennedy with his ability to project outward confidence while masking internal vulnerability.

As directed by John Curran (Tracks), the deliberately paced film takes a straightforward approach yet too often lacks narrative momentum. It’s more intriguing as an examination of public-relations spin and damage control through Kennedy’s efforts to salvage his fragile family legacy.

In fact, Chappaquiddick carries some nonpartisan contemporary relevance when looking at the ways in which power and influence facilitate a high-profile cover-up. Is it true? We’ll probably never know. Ultimately, however, the film feels like a well-researched school project in which the speculation outweighs the persuasion.

Rated R, 106 minutes.