Peter Landesman directs Paul Giamatti, Zac Efron and James Badge Dale in this ensemble drama following the immediate fallout of the Kennedy assassination for the Dallas residents. 

A solid drama that churns up some unknown to me trivia about JFK’s murder but doesn’t really give its strong cast much more room than is needed to go through the motions. James Badge Dale’s portrayal as Oswald’s unwitting brother, whose quiet existence is torn apart by the infamous killer’s actions, is the only thread with any real meat to it. Those scenes aside, Parkland works best as a companion piece to Oliver Stone’s JFK, Pablo Larraín’s Jackie or the fictional miniseries 11.22.63.

5