Millennials and Gen Xs were not alive when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. And if these young people were alive, along with Gen Zs, when John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, died in a plane crash, they knew little about the couple’s relationship. The new series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr, & Carolyn Bessette, delves into the couple’s love affair which ended in sadness.
Although the series is currently the most-watched FX limited series ever on Hulu and Disney+, with over 25 million hours streamed in its first three weeks, it’s being attacked for distorting the truth. Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.’s nephew, who is now running for a Congressional seat on the Upper East Side, has criticized the series and its executive producer, Ryan Murphy. On the CBS Morning Show he said, “The guy knows nothing about what he’s talking about, and he’s making a ton of money on a grotesque display of someone else’s life.” Daryl Hannah once dated JFK Jr. and is played in a few episodes by Bree Hemingway. The actress wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times, saying that portraying her as “irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate,” has not only besmirched her reputation but has resulted in death threats. Others have criticized the series for running so soon after the death from cancer of Tatiana Kennedy Schlossberg.
The budget for Love Story has not been publicly disclosed. The series boasts a large cast but instead of filming in Hyannisport, for a Kennedy family weekend, and on Cumberland Island, Georgia, where John and Carolyn were married, locations were found on Long Island.
There’s a disclaimer at the beginning of Love Story saying that the show is “inspired by actual events, but includes fictional elements for dramatic purposes.” That leaves it up to the viewer to decide what’s true and what’s not. My suggestion: take everything with a large grain of salt.
Many will find it hard to resist another story about the Kennedys. While Trump likes to portray himself as a king, it was JFK whose short time in the White House was compared to Camelot, the legendary court associated with King Arthur made into a Lowe & Lerner musical. As the heir of that legacy, JFK Jr. was regarded as a prince, and while he didn’t embrace that role, he did little to reject it. That notoriety was a double-edged sword. In 1998, People magazine named him the “Sexiest Man Alive,” underscoring his appeal to the opposite sex. But when he failed the New York State Bar exam twice, “The Hunk Flunks” graced the cover of the New York Post.
Because so much of the JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s story took place on the Upper East Side, many of the scenes feature buildings and venues that will be recognizable to locals. Because Jackie and her children lived in the neighborhood, it wasn’t unusual to see them walking around. Caroline and Jack could be seen at their schools. On November 22, Jackie and her children often attended a private mass officiated by Monsignor George Bardes, the pastor, in the chapel at the Church of St. Thomas More. Despite the occasional paparazzo, residents left the Kennedys alone. (In the series, Msgr. Bardes, played by Alan Fawcett, visits Jackie when she’s dying and ministers last rites.)
Casting became critical, finding two actors who not only look like JFK Jr. and Carolyn, but could capture their aura, their mannerisms, and had the physical, emotional, and sexual attraction that could bring to life what was a love story for the ages. The two actors will be unfamiliar to most watchers, allowing them to melt into their characters. Those who knew Carolyn, who never gave interviews, believe that Sarah Pidgeon manages to convey the humor, generosity, sense of style, and caring, that attracted friends and lovers. As John, Paul Anthony Kelly looks eerily like JFK Jr., especially when wearing a backwards baseball or Kangol cap.
While Carolyn was attracted to John she wasn’t prepared for the amount of public scrutiny that would come with a relationship. Working at Calvin Klein (the designer played by Alessandro Nivola) she was able to travel in the best circles without always being followed and photographed. Once she was John’s girlfriend and then his wife, all that was over. Their walks, their dinners, and their arguments often ended up in the tabloids. And all this was before the Internet!
Naomi Watts mostly captures Jackie’s breathless speech and elegant appearance. Was she as tough on her children in real life as she appears here? Grace Gummer as Caroline, seems to be the glue that holds the family together, giving guidance to John without being as heavy handed as Jackie, and, always supportive of her mother. It’s hard to watch these scenes without thinking of Caroline losing her daughter, Tatiana.
And, in the end, that’s what makes this series difficult to watch in many respects. Yes, it’s a love story, but it’s also the continuing story of a family that has seen so much tragedy in its life that we feel guilty enjoying the joyful parts of JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s brief relationship and marriage knowing what comes next.
Shutterstock photo by ev radin
Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly on the Empire State Building
