History YMMV / JFK

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The opposing argument to Jim Garrison's conspiracy scenario is laid out nicely by Bill Broussard (played by Creator/MichaelRooker). While yes, Broussard was [[spoiler: secretly working with the FBI against Garrison]], he nonetheless raises an excellent point when he criticizes Garrison's scenario regarding the assassination of President Kennedy - which, according to Garrison, involves the CIA, FBI, anti-Castro Cubans, the Mafia, the Dallas Police, right-wing oil billionaires, and the military-industrial complex to name just a few. Broussard lays out the best argument for lone gunman proponents when he says that such a conspiracy would be impossible to successfully pull off and keep a secret, owing to how complicated such a conspiracy would be and how many people would have to be involved (something real people have also argued). True, Broussard's own theory isn't great either, but his criticism of Garrison unintentionally undermines the film's pro-conspiracy message. Given that Garrison is mostly a mouthpiece for Oliver Stone to voice his own views, and that the person whom Broussard was based upon was claimed by the real Garrison to have undermined his case from day one (and Stone largely believed whatever Garrison said), Broussard is treated as a villain while Garrison is portrayed as in the right, regardless of the nonsensical nature of his entire premise.

** From the time of actual assassination until years after the film was made, the idea of a disturbed young man murdering a target of opportunity for no greater motive than FameThroughInfamy remained a rather unfamiliar, unsettling, and thus unbelievable idea to the general public, underpinning the film's supposition that there must've been more behind Kennedy's death. Modern audiences, however, more than a generation after the Columbine massacre when such self-aggrandizing slayings have become almost mundane, might be more accepting that Oswald could indeed have acted alone.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered a classic, but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting conspiracy theories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some. In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now, especially given Stone's personal track record of doing just that in other projects like ''The Untold History of the United States'' or ''The Putin Interviews''.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered a classic, but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting conspiracy theories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now, especially given Stone's personal track record of doing just that in other projects like ''The Untold History of the United States'' or ''The Putin Interviews''.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered a classic, but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting conspiracy theories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.\n** In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now, especially given Stone's personal track record of doing just that in other projects like ''The Untold History of the United States'' or ''The Putin Interviews''.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered a classic, but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate.

* ValuesDissonance:
** The film takes a ''very'' pro-conspiracy theory attitude towards the JFK assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and Iran-Contra. However, in the decades since the film's release, with the rise in completely false & disingenuous conspiracy theories facilitated by social media that have proved incredibly dangerous for those they target/blame, [[note]]Case in point: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 U.S. Capitol Attack]] which was fueled by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges[[/note]] the film's message doesn't sit nearly as well with many of today's audiences.
** From the time of actual assassination until years after the film was made, the idea of a disturbed young man murdering a target of opportunity for no greater motive than FameThroughInfamy remained a rather unfamiliar, unsettling, and thus unbelievable idea to the general public, underpinning the film's supposition that there must've been more behind Kennedy's death. Modern audiences, however, more than a generation after the Columbine massacre when such self-aggrandizing slayings have become almost mundane, might be more accepting that Oswald could indeed have acted alone.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered a classic, but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting conspiracy theories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.
** In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now, especially given Stone's personal track record of doing just that in other projects like ''The Untold History of the United States'' or ''The Putin Interviews''.

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/DonaldSutherland as X who utterly steals the film with his long explanation as to why the assassination happened, making what could have been simple expsotion into an utterly riveting moment. Also, Creator/JohnCandy as Dean Andrews manages to be creepy even without doing anything remotely evil on screen.

** The film takes a ''very'' pro-conspiracy theory attitude towards the JFK assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and Iran-Contra. However, in the decades since the film's release, the rise in completely false & disingenuous conspiracy theories facilitated by social media that have proved incredibly dangerous for those they target/blame, [[note]]Case in point: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 U.S. Capitol Attack]] which was fueled by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges[[/note]] the film's message doesn't sit nearly as well with many of today's audiences.

** The film takes a ''very'' pro-conspiracy theory attitude towards the JFK assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and Iran-Contra. However, in the decades since the film's release, the rise in completely false & disingenuous conspiracy theories facilitated by social media that have proved incredibly dangerous for those they target/blame[[note]](Case in point: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 U.S. Capitol Attack]] which was fueled by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges)[[/note]], the film's message doesn't sit nearly as well with many of today's audiences.

** The film takes a ''very'' pro-conspiracy theory attitude towards the JFK assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and Iran-Contra. However, in the decades since the film's release, the rise in completely false & disingenuous conspiracy theories facilitated by social media that have proved incredibly dangerous for those they target/blame[[note]](Case in point: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 U.S. Capitol Attack'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges)[[/note]], the film's message doesn't sit nearly as well with many of today's audiences.

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' pro-conspiracy theory attitude towards the JFK assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result of the rise of social media, there was a massive rise in disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Attack]]'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with much of today's audiences.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered great but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting conspiracy theories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.
** In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now, especially given Stone's personal track record of doing just that in other projects like ''The Untold History of the United States'' or ''The Putin Interviews''.

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' Pro-Conspiracy Theory view/attitude towards the JFK Assassination and opened in a time when such speculation was generally regarded as harmless or even necessary after political scandals like the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result of the rise of the Internet, there was a massive rise in disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Attack]]'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with much of today's audiences.

** In reality, a lot of the specific ideas presented in the film were initially spread by the KGB in the 1960s as a way to undermine the credibility of the U.S. government. The idea of someone taking a Russian disinformation campaign this seriously plays a lot different now (albeit it probably wasn't intentional).

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' Pro-Conspiracy Theory view/attitude towards the JFK Assassination. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result of the rise of the Internet, there was a massive rise in disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Attack]]'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with much of today's audiences.

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/DonaldSutherland as X who utterly steals the film with his long explanation as to why the assassination happened. Also, Creator/JohnCandy as Dean Andrews manages to be creepy even without doing anything remotely evil on screen.

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' Pro-Conspiracy Theory view/attitude towards the JFK Assassination. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result of the rise of the Internet, there was a massive rise in disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Assault]]'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with much of today's audiences.

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' Pro-Conspiracy Theory view/attitude towards the JFK Assassination. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result of the rise of the Internet, there was a massive rise in rather disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Assault]]'' which was ''fueled'' by conspiracy theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and more than a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with much of today's audiences.

* ValuesDissonance: As stated above, the film takes a ''very'' Pro-Conspiracy Theory view/attitude towards the JFK Assassination. However, in the decades after the film's release, largely as a result in the rise of the Internet, there was a massive rise in rather disingenuous & completely false conspiracy theories that proved to be incredibly dangerous for the people they are targeting/blaming. And that's without mentioning the infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack 2021 Capitol Attack]] which was ''fueled'' by such theories and led (directly or indirectly) to nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and over a thousand individual charges. It goes without saying that the film's messages would not sit well with today's audiences or creators.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered great but its sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The movie was well-loved when it came out and is still considered great but its [[CriticalResearchFailure sheer disregard for history to prop up a conspiracy]] has made it a target for a lot of historians' hate. Additionally, promoting UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories is seen as a lot [[ValuesDissonance more dangerous and unethical today than when the film was made,]] making the film very uncomfortable to watch for some.

* CriticalResearchFailure:
** Several historians have taken Stone to task on the movie for massively changing real life events. For example, Garrison never delivered an in-court summation of the trial and they cite numerous mistakes Stone made in the film.
** In his book ''Reclaiming History'', Vincent Bugliosi devotes ''900 pages'' to every single omissions, mistake and outright falsehoods Stone created to fit his conspiracy theory.
** When Garrison outlines what he believed happened in Dallas, he describes the outcomes of six shots. Nearly everyone at the scene described only three and only a few claimed four.