10 Best Movies About John F. Kennedy, Ranked

John F. Kennedy’s life and presidency continue to inspire filmmakers who explore everything from his World War II service to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the events in Dallas. The films on this list include scripted dramas and documentaries that focus on key moments and the people around him. They look closely at decisions inside the White House, the public image that grew around the family, and the investigations that followed the assassination.

These productions also show how cinema keeps revisiting the historical record as new material appears. Some titles draw on eyewitness accounts and government records, while others adapt memoirs and investigative books. Together they create a detailed screen record of the campaign trail, the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union, and the national response that shaped public memory of the era.

‘Killing Kennedy’ (2013)

This television film follows two parallel tracks that lead to November 1963. It dramatizes John F. Kennedy’s path through the presidency and Lee Harvey Oswald’s movements in the United States and the Soviet Union. The production is based on the best selling book of the same name and stages events in homes, offices, and streets that mirror the timeline reported by official investigations.

Rob Lowe plays Kennedy and Will Rothhaar portrays Oswald, with Ginnifer Goodwin as Jackie and Michelle Trachtenberg as Marina. The film premiered on the National Geographic Channel and set a new audience record for the network at the time. It was shot largely in Virginia with period cars, signage, and wardrobe to match newsreel footage and photographs that viewers know well.

‘Parkland’ (2013)

This ensemble drama focuses on the hospital staff, law enforcement, and bystanders who became part of the story on the day of the assassination. The narrative follows doctors and nurses at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Secret Service and FBI teams in Dallas, and Abraham Zapruder as he develops and shares his home movie. The script adapts sections of a detailed account that reconstructs the four days that followed the shooting.

The cast includes Paul Giamatti, Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, and Billy Bob Thornton. Scenes recreate emergency room procedures, chain of custody steps for physical evidence, and the rapid handoff of responsibilities between local and federal authorities. The film pays close attention to time stamps, locations, and documented statements to show how information moved during those first hours.

‘PT 109’ (1963)

This World War II drama covers John F. Kennedy’s command of a patrol torpedo boat in the Solomon Islands. The story follows the collision with a Japanese destroyer, the swim to small islands, and the rescue that grew out of a message carved into a coconut. The script draws on official reports and the later accounts of crew members who described the conditions after the sinking.

Cliff Robertson plays Kennedy after receiving approval from the White House during the production period. Filming used warm water locations to stand in for the South Pacific and built full size boat replicas for action sequences. The release marked a rare case of a feature film about a sitting president while he was still in office, which gave it immediate historical interest.

‘Jackie’ (2016)

This biographical drama observes Jacqueline Kennedy in the days after the assassination and shows how she shaped the public rituals that followed. The film stages her interview with Life magazine, the planning of the funeral procession, and the private moments inside the residence. It also recreates the televised White House tour to show how the administration used media to present culture and history.

Natalie Portman leads the cast with a performance that studies voice, movement, and the cadence of public appearances. The production earned multiple Academy Award nominations including best actress, costume design, and original score. Composer Mica Levi’s music and period accurate sets help connect the intimate conversations to the national images that millions watched.

‘Thirteen Days’ (2000)

This drama covers the Cuban Missile Crisis from the viewpoint of Kennedy’s inner circle. The film follows meetings in the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office as the administration reviews reconnaissance photos, drafts letters to the Soviet leadership, and manages military readiness. Dialogue draws on memoirs, taped conversations, and the declassified notes that recorded how the ExComm debated options.

Kevin Costner appears as presidential aide Kenneth O’Donnell, with Bruce Greenwood as John F. Kennedy and Steven Culp as Robert F. Kennedy. The production recreates U-2 flights, naval quarantine preparations, and the tense back channel messages that shaped the final agreement. Location work blends Washington interiors with standing sets to match photographs from October 1962.

‘JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass’ (2021)

This documentary returns to the assassination using government files released under the records law that followed the earlier inquiries. It interviews medical personnel, researchers, and former officials to review findings, test assumptions, and note what the new material adds to the record. The film organizes its chapters around ballistics, autopsy procedures, and document trails that were not available to the public for decades.

Oliver Stone directs and narrators include Whoopi Goldberg and Donald Sutherland. The release appeared at a major European festival and then aired on premium television in the United States. A longer four part companion titled ‘JFK: Destiny Betrayed’ expands the interviews and exhibits, which gives viewers a way to compare the documentary record with earlier conclusions.

‘Oswald’s Ghost’ (2007)

This documentary studies the figure of Lee Harvey Oswald and the way his story shaped American culture. It examines his travels, writings, and contacts, and then follows the years of public debate that created a large literature of competing explanations. The film places archival clips next to new interviews to show how opinion shifted as each anniversary brought more broadcasts and books.

Director Robert Stone made the film for the long running ‘American Experience’ series on public television. Interviewees include authors, journalists, and witnesses who bring primary materials into the discussion. The program uses measured pacing and clear citations on screen so viewers can see which magazines, newspapers, and official reports supply each claim.

‘Primary’ (1960)

This cinéma vérité landmark follows Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey during the Wisconsin Democratic primary. The crew used lightweight cameras and portable sound equipment so they could move through crowds and capture unscripted exchanges in schools, halls, and private rooms. The result is a close look at the early momentum that carried the candidate through the remaining contests.

The film was produced by Drew Associates with Robert Drew leading a team that included D. A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock, and Albert Maysles. It influenced political reporting by showing how to cover a campaign without staged speeches and heavy narration. Later documentaries borrowed its fly on the wall approach for both elections and policy debates.

‘The Missiles of October’ (1974)

This two night television drama adapts Robert F. Kennedy’s memoir about the Cuban Missile Crisis. The script concentrates on meetings inside the Executive Committee, the public address that announced the quarantine, and the final exchanges that resolved the standoff. Scenes track the preparation of United Nations presentations and the private communications that helped shape a peaceful outcome.

William Devane plays John F. Kennedy and Martin Sheen appears as Robert F. Kennedy, with Howard Da Silva as Nikita Khrushchev. The production uses minimal sets to focus attention on dialogue that follows the record kept by participants. It received major award nominations and remains a detailed screen study of how decisions moved from draft notes to television cameras during those thirteen days.

‘JFK’ (1991)

This feature examines the New Orleans investigation led by District Attorney Jim Garrison and the 1969 trial of Clay Shaw. The film intercuts courtroom scenes, witness interviews, and reconstructed events in Dallas to outline a theory that challenged the official report. It blends archival footage with staged material that uses multiple film stocks to match the look of news cameras and home movies.

Kevin Costner leads a large cast that includes Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Sissy Spacek, and Donald Sutherland. The production won two Academy Awards for cinematography and for film editing and received several additional nominations. It prompted renewed public interest in the case and helped build support for the records law that later released large collections of government files.

Share your favorites about the presidency and the era in the comments so everyone can compare notes on which titles belong on this list.