As part of the "Presidents & Potentates" series:

Thirteen Days (2000) 145 minutes

No film series at a Massachusetts library involving presidents would be complete without a movie involving John F. Kennedy, but the question is: which one? All have factual inaccuracies, but Bruce Greenwood’s crisp performance as JFK makes this political thriller worthwhile, even if Kevin Costner’s pivotal role as special counsel Kenny O’Donnell has been disputed by various members of Camelot. Set in October 1962 the script is derived from Oval Office audio transcripts during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when John and Robert Kennedy struggled to overcome strong pressure from key advisors to keep events from escalating into World War III.

This film is often considered a Kevin Costner vehicle (fraught Boston accent and all) but there are excellent performances by Steven Culp as Bobby Kennedy, Michael Fairman as Adlai Stevenson, Kevin Conway as General Curtis LeMay, Frank Wood as “bright young man” McGeorge Bundy, and a superb cameo by Stephanie Romanov, who does one of the best renditions of Jacqueline Kennedy––catching both her ethereal voice as well as her steely resolve.

BE ADVISED–– This film is rated PG-13, with smoking, drinking, profanity, and violence related to an escalating superpower conflict (a timely subject).