February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, by family standards, has been one of the lower key members of the clan. But in the documentary “Taking on the Kennedys,” just released on DVD, the younger son of Sen. Edward Kennedy plays a starring role alongside a political neophyte by the name of Kevin Vigilante.
The documentary covers a span of time in the 1990s in Rhode Island as Patrick Kennedy makes his move from the state legislature to the U.S. Congress.
Vigilante, a doctor who worked with orphans and HIV patients, was his Republican opponent in a 1996 congressional race that quickly turned nasty.
Given what we’ve seen in the last couple of presidential contests, the slugfest between Kennedy and Vigilante hardly seems all that shocking. Indeed, what comes across as the biggest initial eyebrow raiser in the documentary — made for the public television series “POV” — is that Vigilante is gobsmacked when he pops up in negative television ads paid for by the Kennedy campaign.
We should never be so cynical as to laugh in the face of idealism. But the way the documentary initially presents Vigilante, anyone would be forgiven for believing that he had suddenly landed in Rhode Island’s first congressional district from another political planet.
Be that as it may, the story proceeds with Vigilante gradually waking up the reality that if you take on one Kennedy, you take on the entire crew. While he had his own family members to bolster his effort, Vigilante hasn’t a prayer when it comes to matching the sheer star power of the Kennedy name.
As young Patrick’s career gathers pace, we catch glimpses of family members rolling into the state to make sure that all is going to plan. John Kennedy, poignantly, makes an appearance, as does his sister, Caroline. And, of course, father Ted is always just over the hill in Massachusetts.
Patrick, by virtue of his surname, is also a star even if he still looks young enough to be carded at a bar door.
As much as this film throws a light on two campaigns, it also focuses closely on voters and how they react to the candidates. Many seem ready to cast their ballot for Kennedy simply because, well, he’s a Kennedy. The persuasive power of posed photographs and autographs is also highlighted.
There seems to be no issues at all in play, but this is likely a result of the documentary’s specific tack. It has, at times, a Michael Moore whiff to it in terms of its consistent adherence to particular angles of attack.
As the race progresses, Vigilante finally begins to step onto the hard-school learning curve. He even ends up signing his moniker for voters who react with growing warmth to a candidate described to this day as “attractive and energetic” in the National Journal’s Almanac of American Politics.
But Vigilante’s obvious talents aren’t going to be enough and eventually he too has to dish out the dirt. This pays immediate dividends in the polls and the race tightens.
But even this late surge isn’t enough. Patrick Kennedy wins, the family wins and Vigilante walks off into what now looks like pre-ordained political twilight.
One review of this documentary stated that if the viewer wanted to understand American politics, it was essential to watch “Taking on the Kennedys.”
Understanding, as we all know, is not always comforting.
Details on the availability of this DVD, priced at $26.95, can be found on www.docurama.com.