Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived (2008)

77% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(288 ratings)

The date of November 22, 1963, will forever be engraved in the hearts and minds of all Americans, but the events of that horrible day speak to a broader underlying question in light of the controversy to follow: had he lived and been reelected in 1964, how would John F. Kennedy have handled foreign… More The date of November 22, 1963, will forever be engraved in the hearts and minds of all Americans, but the events of that horrible day speak to a broader underlying question in light of the controversy to follow: had he lived and been reelected in 1964, how would John F. Kennedy have handled foreign policy in Vietnam? Americans will never have a definitive answer, of course, but in the documentary Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived, director Koji Masutani re-introduces this question and explores potential outcomes in light of counterfactuals, what-ifs, and proposed scenarios. Masutani draws heavily from the events that did transpire in Kennedy's presidency to hone in on a pattern of decision-making evident throughout his career, via his responses to such events as East Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and uses this to make predictions about Kennedy's response to Vietnam. On many levels, Masutani directed this film as a very deliberate choice at the time of the American Iraqi War (on the eve of the 2008 presidential election) to demonstrate that a nation's commander in chief will dramatically influence the direction and general well-being of a country's future. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Koji Masutani
Genres: Documentary

In Theaters: Sep 17, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Oct 27, 2009
Studio: Global Media Project

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Fascinating stuff, but after a while the film runs out of things to say and falls back on clichés.
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Director Koji Masutani has masterfully assembled a wealth of archival footage, photos and audiotapes, some of which has been recently declassified.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
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.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The film is a seductive immersion into an early sixties zeitgeist and Cold War cool.
Maureen M. Hart, Chicago Tribune
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.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
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.
Jim Slotek, Jam! Movies
If nothing else, Virtual JFK does remind us of what it was that made him charismatic.
Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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.
Ted Fry, Seattle Times
The controversial process of counterfactual history gets a captivating workout in Virtual JFK.
Matthew Nestel, Boxoffice Magazine
Hearty takes and outtakes by Kennedy, his peers and nemeses intertwine objectively to thwart anyone who pegs the work as purely absurdist.
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com
plays out like a hagiographic screed
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
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.
Stephen Garrett, Time Out New York
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.