The Kennedys

The controversial 2011 miniseries "The Kennedys" was turned down by History Channel because it wasn't 100% accurate, as if anything that purports to tell a true story on film is 100% accurate. The truth is that the channel was pressured by its board members, many of whom were friends of the Kennedys, to turn it down. The History Channel in England managed to stoop to broadcast it, so something tells me, as my grandmother used to say, there was "dirty work at the crossroads." Speaking of which, this miniseries attempts to give us a realistic look at the Kennedy family, and it isn't too pretty. If this were about my family I'd try to keep someone from broadcasting it as well. And they didn't even give us the worst parts.

The beginning story centers around Joe Kennedy, a man who built his fortune with insider trading and had political aspirations which were dashed when he was pulled from his Ambassador job in England. He then focused on making his son, Joe Jr., the star politician, but when Joe was killed in the service, his hopes turned to Jack. According to this, he didn't think too much of Bobby. Yet in the series, Bobby actually emerges as a hero.

The focus is on these Kennedy men without much about the rest of the family, which was a criticism. But in order to do that, the miniseries would have had to be a maxiseries. It does touch on Rosemary, the mentally/emotionally challenged child who was institutionalized, and whom Joe arranged to have a lobotomy. The miniseries doesn't mention the last part.

There is no mention of Kathleen, nor would there have been, since her family cut her off when she became involved with a married man. When she died in a plane crash at the age of 28, her mother Rose, who did not attend her funeral, said that it was God's punishment for her being involved with a married man. In 1963, President Kennedy saw his sister's grave for the first time.

As far as Jack and Jackie, Jackie emerges as a woman very much in love with her husband, a man who made her unhappy most of the time with his infidelity. This was just something you were supposed to put up with, I guess. I believe there was a lot of love between both of them; and I believe that toward the end of his life, JFK became more and more impressed with her as a woman and realized how important she was to him. It's said that when he died, clippings about her were found in the top drawer of his desk.

Bobby Kennedy comes off as extremely aggressive, loyal, hardworking, a loving husband, and a family man. He was one who, in a way, had greatness thrust upon him and came to a tragic end as a result. Not mentioned is how much Ethel came to resent Jackie because after JFK died, she was calling Bobby for every little thing. One does see her doing this in the miniseries, though.

JFK's portrait is that of a thoughtful man who listened carefully to advice and didn't cave into the military, who wanted him to blow Cuba to kingdom come. The focus here is on the pain he endured from Addison's disease and various infidelities. We do not see a lot of his tremendous charm, his humor, and his great charisma.

The acting is uniformly excellent. I had some problems with Barry Pepper's accent, which I felt in the beginning wasn't organic but really put on. Greg Kinnear was amazing -- as usual, his performances are surprising and he's underrated as a result. If he doesn't sparkle enough as JFK, it's probably because it wasn't in the script.

The most brilliant performance is that of Tom Wilkinson as Joe, a powerful, controlling, ruthless man who let nothing stand in his way to get what he wanted. Wilkinson's real-life wife, Diana Hardcastle, is a marvelous Rose Kennedy.

Katie Holmes does a good job as Jackie, though she resembles Mary Tyler Moore a little more than the First Lady. She is nevertheless lovely and a sympathetic character. We're not really able to see her courage, but we can see what she went through in the White House. We also see that she was an amazing woman, classy and sophisticated, and a wonderful mother without it being beat over our heads. The assassination was well-handled with real documentary footage and no emphasis on gore.

Some of this film is verbatim from real events - Kennedy's speech in Dallas at the Chamber of Commerce, his televised report to America about the Cuban missile crisis, Bobby's speech in Los Angeles, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the White house meetings were verbatim as well, since those transcripts exist and were used in "Thirteen Days."

All in all, I thought this was very good; I read an expert's list of inaccuracies, and it was fairly short, having to do with whether or not Bobby and Jack discussed their sex lives with one another; whether Joe was pro-Hitler; and whether Joe kissed his secretary in front of Rose. The expert had that incorrect. In the film, Joe is kissing his secretary when Rose enters the room. It wasn't deliberate. Also the expert didn't know if Joe actually did have an affair with his secretary. Not that it would surprise me if he did. I do believe he had a great deal of respect for his wife, however, and would not have done anything to embarrass her.

I highly recommend this series. If the miniseries comes off like a soap opera, let's face it, the lives of the Kennedys were just that. Unfortunately their lives were all too real, and most of them paid a high price for their fame and ambition.

The Kennedys is a first class look at the victories and tragedies of the iconic Kennedy family. The production, casting and dramatization of the Kennedy family and memorable events are beautifully captured on screen.

Over the course of 8 episodes the lives and challenges of the Kennedys are explored masterfully with intrigue and grandeur. The details and accuracy of great historic events surrounding the Kennedy family are well portrayed. From Jo Kennedy's involvement, Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana and Marilyn Monroe. The style and musical soundtrack beautifully reinforced the drama and intensity of scenes. We are moved effortlessly through time and reflections by certain characters of past events.

Perhaps the strongest asset to this production is the cast itself. Greg Kinnear is very impressive as JFK and believable. Barry Pepper was brilliant in his portrayal as Bobby Kennedy. He immerses himself in the role from look, mannerisms and accent and 'is' Bobby. Katie Holmes is also great in her role as Jackie as she also looked the part and pays worthy homage to a great female figure. Special praise to Tom Wilkinson who was fantastic as Joe Kennedy and embodied a strong personality with ease, the main cast members hit it out of the park. One forgets and easily is taken into this great journey as a result of some great performances. I can and have re watched this masterpiece in television many times, highly recommended.

10/10

"The Kennedys" is a competently produced and mostly entertaining series with terrific performances, realistic dialogue, and fine set design that convincingly evokes the time period of John and Robert Kennedy. The story is nothing new to those familiar with the Kennedys: after the death of his eldest son in World War II, New England patriarch Joseph Kennedy pushes his son John to become President of the United States. Along the way, John's fearless brother Robert and his enigmatic wife Jackie give him needed support as he campaigns for higher office and makes decisions that will forever change the course of history.

The TV series isn't entirely historically accurate: it does take liberties with certain details and embellishes relationships and events that in reality were less sensational. But I mostly didn't mind since this is a drama and not a documentary, and the changes made generally served the narrative. The story of the Kennedys has been brought to life in better, richer TV shows and movies such as "Kennedy" starring Martin Sheen and "Thirteen Days" with Bruce Greenwood. If you're interested in the Kennedys I recommend you watch those first, but "The Kennedys" does tell their story very well overall even if it doesn't really bring anything new to the table.

The four central characters are all complex and fascinating, and the actors (Greg Kinnear as JFK, Barry Pepper as RFK, Katie Holmes as Jackie, and Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy) do a terrific job bringing these historical figures to life. In particular Barry Pepper is spellbinding as Robert Kennedy: he captures the intensity and the empathy that drove RFK all his life, and he exactly replicates Kennedy's appearance and speaking style without doing an impersonation. If nothing else I recommend watching the series for his performance alone. The costume design, sets, and music all do a terrific job of replicating the 1960s, and at no point in the series does anything feel out of place, fake, or less than authentic to the times.

The biggest complaint I have is that the series takes a downhill turn after JFK's assassination: the final episode, which focuses on the Kennedys after his death, is unfocused, sloppy, and skips over four years of riveting history from 1964 to 1968. Jackie is sidelined as a character and RFK comes across as too self-pitying and opportunistic. Because the series almost entirely ignores his service as a U.S. Senator, we don't witness his tireless work for the underprivileged or his painful indecision over whether or not to run for President in 1968. The finale was a missed opportunity to tell a compelling story, and overall it's a disappointing conclusion to the show.

If the series had ended with JFK's death, I'd rank it an 8/10. It's slick, well-acted, entertaining, and does a fine job of bringing such cherished American icons to life on the silver screen. It also manages to show the Kennedys' flaws while remaining respectful of their accomplishments and principles. But the finale just doesn't cut it, making the series an incomplete experience. 7/10.

"Your name is Kennedy & Kennedy's never come second." The controversial mini-series passed on by the History Channel that shows the highlights of the life of JFK (Kinnear) and RFK (Pepper). Beginning with the family preparing for election night and following them, with flashbacks, until the assassination of Bobby. Being a huge history buff, and more specifically a Kennedy buff I was very much interested in this. When I saw Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper playing the roles of Jack and Bobby I was excited to see them in this. I was not disappointed at all. While some of the events were not exactly as they happened (Joe finding out about the assassination for one) this is still a very good account of the life of the men. Being a mini series and so much to cover almost all of the events are glossed over quickly, (the Cuban Missle Crisis is begun and finished in 42 minutes) but the important aspects are in this. The acting is fantastic from everyone, and the casting is perfect, much like Jaoquin Phoenix in "Walk The Line" no make up (besides the hair) was used and you swear that Kinnear is actually JFK. I can see why the History Channel did pass on this series though in the fact that it's not 100% accurate, but this is very much worth watching. This can easily stand up to (and in my opinion surpasses) the "John Adams" series. Overall, a fantastic award worthy series. Both for the series and the acting. Biggest problem with awards will be who to give supporting award to...Pepper or Wilkinson. Watch this! I give it an A.

Would I watch again? - I will buy this.

*Also try - Thirteen Days

I have always been fascinated with the Kennedy family & over the years have read & seen so much about them. This series was wonderful - very entertaining & extremely well written. A lot has been said about the acting & I too was watching with a critical eye. I have to say the acting was excellent! I found myself totally engrossed in watching the story line which of course I know so well. I was captivated by how each & every actor was able to portray such a likeness to their real life character. This was indeed enhanced by the stupendous job by the make-up & costume department! Katie Holmes in particular had an extremely difficult role to play, but what an amazing job she did! I truly enjoyed this fabulous series!