Alicia
I love this movie so much
Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
paulinewainwright
I saw this on TV when it was first aired (and thought it was brilliant) but had not seen it for a long time until I recently bought the video set - and realised why I wanted to see it again. It has to be the best ever film about the Kennedy era. All the characters look right, and if you listen to Martin Sheen delivering the inauguration speech (and look away from the screen), you can *hear* the voice of JFK - I almost thought Sheen must be miming to the original soundtrack, but he had the accent to perfection, and also the mannerisms. Blair Brown as Jackie seemed to 'grow into' the role and got so much better as the film progressed. Geraldine Fitzgerald as Rose was exactly as I had always imagined her and Vincent Gardenia was sinister as J Edgar Hoover (why on earth is the FBI building named after this obnoxious man?). I was less keen on John Shea as Bobby - he seemed too weak somehow. The assassination scenes are horrific - but they were in real life, and it would have been wrong to underplay them. 10/10 from me for this film.
redpenedtg
I waited a long time for this mini-series to come to VHS, and even longer for it to hit DVD! Whenever I see a portrayal of a member of the Kennedy family in film or on TV, this is the film I compare it to, and this film comes out on top every time! Martin Sheen is not JFK's physical twin, but his speech patterns are perfect. Blair Brown delivers the best portrayal of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy you're likely to see, ever. The supporting cast is great, as well. I think only "Thirteen Days" ranks with the supporting cast portrayals, but Sheen's JFK is far and away the best on film!Anyone interested in the Kennedy clan would enjoy and learn a lot from this film!
nickandrew
This three part, six hour mini series was originally released in November of 1983, which was the 20th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Martin Sheen plays JFK and Blair Brown plays Jackie, both do great jobs. I remember seeing the entire film many, many years ago; it use to come on every November, but I have not honestly seen it from start to finish in a couple years on TV. As I recall, the series starts out on November 22, 1963, showing Rose Kennedy sitting in her living room and hearing about the assassination of her son on the news, then it cuts into 1960 when JFK was running for the presidency. The series then covers the very important personal and historical events of Kennedy's life and administration in the two years he was in the White House. Of course it ends with that dark day in Dallas. The scene of the assassination is very brutal but also very real and shows how quick it really happened and how fast history changed.
Flippitygibbit
This mini-series more than earned its BAFTA award. It was well acted, true to the facts recorded in most books on the Kennedys, and very emotive. I was particularly impressed by Blair Brown as Jackie, and Nesbitt Blaisdell as an eerily convincing LBJ. Martin Sheen was Martin Sheen in the look-a-like stakes, but he put across the personality, temperament, and accent of Kennedy superbly, which is a lot harder than merely resembling a person. (Although, when watching the original footage of the inaugural address on the DVD version, I had to wonder if Sheen had maybe overdone the famous Boston accent slightly). The tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis was well captured, and the dramatisation of the assassination was the right balance of effect and imagination. Blair Brown's portrayal of Jackie's shock and grief stood up to the raw emotion of the opening scenes, perfectly bookending this amazing series.
