Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

David Burton Morris

Writers (WGA):

Donald Spoto (book)
Eric Overmyer (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

5 November 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

She was the 20th century's First Lady. Now see her for the woman she really was.

Plot Keywords:

Kennedy Family | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Joanne Whalley	...	Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
Tim Matheson	...	John F. Kennedy
Tom Skerritt	...	Joseph P. 'Joe' Kennedy
Frances Fisher	...	Janet Lee Bouvier Auchincloss
Andrew McCarthy	...	Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy
Philip Baker Hall	...	Aristotle Onassis
Diane Baker	...	Rose Kennedy
Jerry Adler	...	Maurice Tempelsman
Chuck Shamata	...	Pierre Salinger
Fred Ward	...	John Vernon 'Black Jack' Bouvier III
Bronwen Booth	...	Lee Bouvier
Jennifer Van Dyck	...	Caroline Kennedy (as Jennifer Van Dyke)
Jeffrey Pierce	...	John F. Kennedy Jr.
Jacob Richmond	...	Edward 'Ted' Kennedy
David Francis	...	Hugh D'Auchincloss (as Davis Francis)

Also Known As:

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Poland:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Jackie: The Summary

I found this watchable, as I am interested in anything to do with Jack and Jackie Kennedy, but it was also very cliched. It was as if every anecdote about the Kennedys had been translated into a line of dialogue; an abbreviated approach to a film that doesn't work, as people don't sit there and talk about their lives like that ("And your dad said 'Ich bin ein Berliner', which means 'I'm a jelly donut'! He really did!' ")

Some of the casting worked, some didn't. Joanne Whalley looked the part on a basic level (brown hair and eyes), but Blair Brown in 'Kennedy' was more convincing. And Whalley's interpretation of Jackie grated on my nerves. She came across as too noble, and without faults of her own; constantly being emotionally rebuffed by the men in her life. I know this film was about Jackie, but it didn't seem like an honest portrayal. The actors and actresses playing Joe and Rose Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and the adult Caroline were effective (whereas the child actors playing Caroline and John Jr. were insulting!)

I must admit, I was moved by Jack and Bobby's deaths, particularly the archive footage from the time. And Jackie telling her children about their father's death (did she, though? Wasn't it the nanny?), before rushing into the hall to let out her own grief, was a heartbreaking scene.

A few moments of 'dramatic licence' (from what I could gather after reading different accounts of events beforehand), and a very summarised life for Jackie, despite running to three hours, but not an out and out insult. It kept me involved throughout.