Well I can’t help myself … now that I’ve seen the entire series, I need to jump on the bandwagon and discuss Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
As a GenXer, it’s only natural to obsess over this show. This was the time when many of us were in our twenties, figuring out life after college. I also feel like that time was kind of a blur, so not only was I watching a very public love story play out, but I was also rekindling so many memories of that time. The nineties felt a bit more subtle than the 80’s … it was as if after a decade of neon and glam rock we just needed to chill out a bit, hence all the minimalism. I also feel like there’s been plenty of shows focused on the eighties (thank you, Stranger Things, especially the season with the mall) but it’s about time that the 90’s got some love too.
I’m not going to talk about the deceased nor the people and relationships and how they were portrayed; I am sure plenty of creative license was taken already. However, I do have some thoughts about the show in general:
First, the casting was fantastic. Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK, Jr., was strikingly good in particular; both his appearance and his voice seemed spot-on. I didn’t recognize Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy until I recently looked it up. Constance Zimmer broke my heart as Carolyn and Lauren’s mother, Ann. (By the way, she is very underrated; go watch her in the series Unreal. It is crazy.)
To this day, JFK Jr. is the only person I know who can pull off a suit with a backwards baseball hat and still look incredible. Anyone else just looks dopey.
Whoever was in charge of the music knew what they were doing. Five stars. I remember listening to Dido’s No Angel album on repeat in the 90’s (there are no skips on it!) and I was pleasantly surprised to hear “Here with Me” featured on the last episode (sob). Also worth mentioning … Portishead! Both are worth digging out of the archives.
Twenty-year-olds should just stop making TikToks about minimalist 90’s style. You weren’t alive, you weren’t there, just let the GenXers have their thing, okay?
I don’t even know if this is historically accurate - but did anyone else cringe during John and Carolyn’s first kiss? They had just spent hours smoking and eating garlic-y Indian food. That just can’t be good. And speaking of bad breath, same goes for the scene where Carolyn had literally been sitting at home chain-smoking all day, and in walks JFK Jr. for a big ol’ sloppy kiss after a long day at work. Is this normal?
John’s apartment. Sigh. That apartment was just ugly. There was nothing endearing about it, and honestly I was questioning his taste. It was dark, sterile, unwelcoming … and it had a terrible layout. I would be depressed too if I was cooped up in that place all day. Carolyn’s first order of business should have been finding new digs. There’s got to be something better in his price range, no?
The wedding stressed me out. Here all the guests were at the church practically having a cornhole tournament outside, and the bride was back at the house sitting in a bathtub fully clothed, smoking a cigarette, no hair and makeup done while some repairs were done to her dress. What. Was. That. That is a nightmare that ranks up there with “I haven’t attended a single class all semester”.
I was a little surprised that the writers and creators included a highly speculative “last minutes in the plane” scene. I didn’t want to see it. And I know it’s supposed to make us feel better, with Carolyn remaining calm and talking to John in a soothing tone … but I couldn’t help but think how unlikely that was. Everyone knows the plane went down … I would have preferred to have just seen the plane take off and disappear across the horizon.
Thoughts? What brought back memories of the 90’s for you?
Anne, I’m just too old to have the same level of interest in JFK Jr. that you and your generation have. To me he’s still that little boy saluting his father’s casket that a black horse drawn carriage sadly paraded through Washington DC in a eventful year that is etched into my generation’s psyche. So, my interest in this mini-series (do we still use that term?) was unbelievable low - and after reading your perspectives and recaps - I’m glad I missed it. The new resurgence of displaying smoking on screen in tv and movies - whether or not historically accurate - is annoying to me. But I very much liked your summary - and I’m happy I missed it. Oh. And I should add that my wife, Denise, did see it - and liked it. Go figure.