“The Kennedys” Performed as “Dallas”: Sue Ellen Had It Better than Jackie
“The Kennedys” premieres in Los Angeles tonight. I’ve heard the press is not invited. Really, it doesn’t matter. I’ve made it through five of the eight episodes. They are truly awful. Watching this thing is torture, although the music is nice.
It’s not the politics. The shows are just badly made. Greg Kinnear, who’s usually very good, does the best he can. By episode 3 he just gives up trying to maintain the Boston accent. (Now you know why Melissa Leo and Christian Bale got Oscars; it’s not easy to do.) Katie Holmes can’t do it either. As Jackie she sounds like a female Elmer Fudd. She also looks mystified most of the time.
The real stars of this show are Barry Pepper as Bobby, and Tom Wilkinson as Jock Ewing, er, Joe Kennedy senior. “The Kennedys” is written like a short season of “Dallas” with Jock and Miss Ellie as Joe and Rose, JR Ewing as Jack Kennedy, Bobby Ewing as Bobby Kennedy, and Sue Ellen as Jackie. (Maybe Pam is Ethel.)I love it when the announcer says at the start of each episode, “Previously on The
The mini series is very concerned about Jack’s philandering, that he and Jackie both are amped up on Dr. Feelgood’s shots, that Bobby is a choir boy, and Joe Senior is a crusty curmudgeon. They are always discussing their sex lives. The basis for the mini series seems to be a weaving together of all the trashiest books ever written on the Kennedys. C. David Heymann, Kitty Kelly, the whole gang. You wonder why the History Channel didn’t want it? I’m sure in Episode 1 when Jack Kennedy is riffling through his medicine cabinet, someone at History said, “Whoa!”
There are weird omissions and additions: Teddy Kennedy is completely absent. I don’t think he’s ever mentioned. Also missing is Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, who was played so well by Tracy Pollan in a better TV movie years ago. But shooting fish in a barrel, the series makes a long detour into the story of Rosemary Kennedy, who was lobotomized.
I don’t know if Caroline Kennedy or Maria Shriver had a role in History dropping the show. But if they did, they were right. In the 50th anniversary year of President Kennedy’s election, this miniseries is no tribute. I’m not advocating whitewashing, but a well made, historically accurate show would have been preferable.
If I can force myself through volumes 6 through 8, I’ll update you.
I watched 5 of the episodes. So, Roger, you do not like facts? What part of it was not based on facts????? I thought it was very interesting and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch all the episodes being that I do not have the cable channel it played on (I watched it at my sisters). I would have liked to have seen them all.
You aren’t suggesting that by extension we consider Teddy Kennedy to be played by Ray Krebs, are you???
As Larry Holmes might say, Ted Kennedy couldn’t carry Ray’s jockstrap.
Why do you think they left him out? Let me list a few possibile reasons:
Mary Jo Kopechne
Kicked out of Harvard for cheating.
Mistreatment of an alcoholic wife.
You do recognize that Mary Jo suffocated after two hours in the submerged car and didn’t drown, don’t you? I wonder how that would have been presented with historical accuracy.
Jackie Kennedy was a very smart woman, John Kennedy a very smart man. Does that come through? Doesn’t sound like it.
Hey Roger, did you know that ‘The Kennedys’ premieres on The History Channel right here in the UK on 7 April?