Emilio Estevez tries to hit for the cycle as he writes, directs and stars in “Bobby.” The film tells the story of the events at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968. This is the night that Robert Kennedy was shot and killed after giving a speech in the hotel’s ballroom.

The nation was on edge following the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

As one character in the film states, “there’s no one left but Bobby.” These powerful words mean even more to the viewer due to the knowledge of what is to come.

For a film called “Bobby,” there is surprisingly little screen-time for Robert Kennedy. In fact, the only time we see him is through stock footage of various speeches he gave. The bulk of the film revolves around dozens of people who were at the hotel the day of the assassination.

From award winners like Anthony Hopkins and Martin Sheen, to teen icons like Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan, “Bobby” contains a motley crew of actors. This leads to one of the film’s main problems.

The challenge in an ensemble film like “Bobby” is that the audience is never allowed to spend enough time with individual characters. This creates a void between the viewer and the characters that is tough to overcome.

Last year’s Oscar winner, “Crash” combated this problem with a near-perfect screenplay that utilized every scene to its utmost potential. Even though the audience only spent a few minutes with each character, a bond was formed.

Sadly, “Bobby” lacks efficiency. Many of the scenes — and, quite frankly, many of the characters — are banal and completely disrupt the flow of the film. The audience is only given the time to involve itself emotionally with a negligible number of characters.

Freddy Rodriguez gives the most complete performance of the film as José, a soft-spoken employee in the hotel’s kitchen. His awareness of the state of the nation and of what the future holds for it provides some of the most thought-provoking scenes. Also, discovering how his character is immortalized in history is one of the biggest payoffs of the film.

The soundtrack, although bordering predictable, does its job of depicting the music of the sixties. The usual suspects are all here, including Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and the Supremes.

Most notable is the use of Simon and Garfunkel’s "The Sound of Silence" during the moments prior to the shooting. This song is a fitting choice, as it was written as a response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Despite its flaws, “Bobby” is worth seeing for the powerful final act alone; seeing all the characters converge moments before the inevitable shooting is as tense as it is moving.

With a tighter script, this film could have been an Oscar contender. As it is, “Bobby” is an interesting but underachieving look at an event that helped shape our world into what it is today.

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