Click to read the article
Comment
04/23/09
Rate this Movie 
Virtual JFK (2008)
74
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:19
Fresh:14
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.6/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 17, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Film Forum is pleased to present the US theatrical premiere of Virtual JFK: Vietname if Kennedy Had Lived, beginning Wednesday, September 17. Scottish historian Niall Ferguson calls it virtual... [More]
Director: Koji Masutani
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Virtual JFK
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Argues that nearly 60,000 United States armed forces wouldn't have lost their lives in Vietnam had John F. Kennedy not been assassinated. Duh.
09/15/08
The film is a seductive immersion into an early sixties zeitgeist and Cold War cool.
02/27/09
Top CriticThe title of the documentary Virtual J F K: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived pretty much says it all, though the movie itself says not nearly enough.
09/17/08
plays out like a hagiographic screed
09/18/08
Fascinating stuff, but after a while the film runs out of things to say and falls back on clichés.
04/09/09
Contrary to its title, Virtual JFK is less a counter-history of the Vietnam years than a tribute to John F. Kennedy's stubborn resistance to a military that pressured him to go to war on six occasions during his short presidency.
12/12/08
A compelling history lesson that offers an insightful primer on the Kennedy presidency even while proving sadly germane to our current times, Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived spells out its provocative premise in its title.
10/06/08
Director Koji Masutani has masterfully assembled a wealth of archival footage, photos and audiotapes, some of which has been recently declassified.
03/20/09
The question: Can an individual leader take a nation to, or keep it from, war? The conclusion: Individual temperament matters, and John F. Kennedy's example proves it.
09/17/08
Top CriticIf nothing else, Virtual JFK does remind us of what it was that made him charismatic.
02/27/09
Assembles an amazing array of recorded conversations and vintage newsreel, and offers up enough press conference footage to make one nostalgic for the days when an uncowed, penetrating press really did serve the public interest.
09/17/08
Hearty takes and outtakes by Kennedy, his peers and nemeses intertwine objectively to thwart anyone who pegs the work as purely absurdist.
09/19/08
The word Iraq is never uttered, but there's no avoiding it as Kennedy asserts during the Bay of Pigs crisis that to attack Cuba, a country that hadn't attacked the United States, would be contrary to our national tradition.
01/08/09
Despite its title, Virtual JFK doesn't imagine a world where JFK survives the events of Dallas and goes on to win a second term as U.S. president. That would be a whole other movie, and a fascinating one at that.
02/27/09
Top CriticVirtual JFK reps an extended glimpse into a bygone era of statesmanship.
09/17/08
With its fascinating central question (What if … ) and well-chosen, nostalgic footage of John F. Kennedy in his prime, this well-played documentary manages to escape the fate of other dry historical overviews.
09/15/08
Koji Masutani and Blight methodically examine how John F. Kennedy’s stalwart authority and nuanced judgment preserved an unambiguous, if fragile, peace at six different inflammatory moments during his presidency.
09/17/08
The controversial process of counterfactual history gets a captivating workout in Virtual JFK.
12/11/08
Virtual JFK -- directed by Tokyo-born, US-educated Koji Masutani -- doesn't bring up Iraq per se, but the parallels are clear.
09/18/08
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Latest News for Virtual JFK
September 18, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Lakeview Terrace Isn't Sturdy; Igor Lacks Brains
This week at the movies, we've got an angry cop (Lakeview Terrace, starring Samuel L. Jackson); a disgruntled hunchback (the CGI Igor with voice work by John Cusack and Molly... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
History of Disney Animation 
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
90 Years of Screen Vampires
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Recent Headlines as TV Movies
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
The Death of Original Thought
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds