The Kennedys 

The triumphs and tragedies of the most popular political family in American history.

Stars:

Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Katie Holmes

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 12 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Greg Kinnear	...	Jack Kennedy 8 episodes, 2011
Barry Pepper	...	Bobby Kennedy 8 episodes, 2011
Katie Holmes	...	Jackie Kennedy 8 episodes, 2011
Tom Wilkinson	...	Joe Kennedy Sr. 8 episodes, 2011
Diana Hardcastle	...	Rose Kennedy 8 episodes, 2011
Kristin Booth	...	Ethel Kennedy 8 episodes, 2011
Rothaford Gray	...	Agent Abraham Bolden 5 episodes, 2011
Janelle Hutchison	...	Evelyn Lincoln 5 episodes, 2011
Rachel Wilson	...	Michelle 4 episodes, 2011
Serge Houde	...	Sam Giancana 4 episodes, 2011
Ava Preston	...	Caroline Kennedy 4 episodes, 2011
Angela Besharah	...	Ann Gargan 4 episodes, 2011
Jonathan Whittaker	...	Robert McNamara 4 episodes, 2011
Don Allison	...	Lyndon Johnson 3 episodes, 2011
Barry Flatman	...	General Thomas Bennett 3 episodes, 2011
Dan Lett	...	McGeorge Bundy 3 episodes, 2011
Enrico Colantoni	...	J. Edgar Hoover 3 episodes, 2011
Jane Moffat	...	Letitia Baldrige 3 episodes, 2011
John Bourgeois	...	Dr. Max Jacobson 3 episodes, 2011
Tedde Moore	...	Mrs. Shaw 3 episodes, 2011
Eliza Preston	...	Caroline Kennedy 2 episodes, 2011
Kristin Adams	...	Cynthia 2 episodes, 2011
Glen Gaston	...	Dean Rusk 2 episodes, 2011
Megan Vincent	...	Judy Campbell 2 episodes, 2011

Storyline

The story of the most fabled political family in American history, told in a manner similar to The Godfather: a manipulative, egocentric father determined to live out his own ambitions through his sons, who in turn spent their lives dancing to his tune while at the same time trying to stand on their own. This is history through personality - the tangled relationships through which paint a picture of one of the most turbulent periods of the modern age. Viewers will be upstairs at the White House, not in the Cabinet Room. Through iconic events in history - the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights struggle, the mob connection - viewers will learn about the lesser known, yet critical personal stories.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1963 | john f. kennedy assassination | first family | president | watching television | 

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Taglines:

The triumphs and the tragedies of America's greatest dynasty.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

The TV miniseries was originally produced by the History Channel, only to be ultimately shelved due to unsuitability issues, further compounded by the Kennedy family's apparent dissatisfaction with the series. Eventually the mini-series was picked up by the Albuquerque-based ReelzChannel whose on-air personalities include movie aficionados Leonard Maltin and Richard Roeper.

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Goofs

Throughout the mini-series, Robert, while serving as Attorney General, is addressed verbally as "General". Although Attorneys General are addressed as General, this is done only when they appear or are referred to in either a U.S. Federal Court or the U.S. Supreme Court. Outside of these courts, protocol dictates that the AG is addressed as either "Attorney General" or "Mr. Attorney General".

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Connections

Spoofed in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.69 (2011)

User Reviews

The Real Tale of Camelot

I finished watching all 8 episodes which I feel is a must to properly review a production. Trying to do it after only one episode is not fair to it.

That being said, I found this series very interesting and highly enjoyable, yet sad. I grew up in the 50's and well remember everything about the Kennedys, the myths and the truths. It is impossible to cram everything about this large family into just 8 hours, but this did a pretty good job with the main points. I don't feel they played that loose with the historical facts because it is impossible to know everything about what happened in the inner sanctum of that great family.

I do know that Greg Kinnear did a remarkable job as John, to the point where I believed he was truly John and had to remind myself he wasn't at times. Katie Holmes did a very good job with Jackie considering she was a private woman who was rarely seen outside of her official role, so not a lot of info for Katie to help her in her role. All we have is hearsay. The other stars with outstanding performances were Barry Pepper and Tom Wilkinson, with a very big nod to Diana Hardcastle as Rose Kennedy. I have seen Barry before and he is a fine actor and deserves an award for this role as do Greg, Tom and Diana.

This movie was not about conspiracy theories and trying to figure out who assassinated JFK. It hinted at several possibilities and left it at that. What it is about is a family that pulled together in difficult times and took care of each other, which can be a rare thing in these days. It showed their progressive values and the contributions they made to bettering this country and it was so sad that was cut short. I will never forget either of the days those men were assassinated. Watching it all over again was very difficult for me.

My only disappointment was that the only other family member shown briefly was the daughter with the disability. Ted Kennedy was never shown and should have been since it was called The Kennedys and he went on to do great things, but I suppose time restricted that and he was young in the time period this was set.

This movie did it's job of entertaining people and if you don't look at it as "well, history says this or that" then you will enjoy it. It is not meant to retell history but to try to put personality's into public figures and show the difficulties faced by a large political family, the good and the bad. The direction and writing were superb, as well as the cinematography and I liked the way they went back in time to fill in some blanks; made it more interesting to me. I would recommend this to anyone who is not nit picky or highly critical. It is not a documentary, but a mini series about a family, that's all. I found little to criticize about the history element since they skimmed over important events that I lived through and they were pretty accurate. Books can have their own spin on things to sell them, so may not really be accurate either.

I give this an 8/10. This was more like a theatrical production than a TV one.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Reelz Channel [United States]

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Kennedys

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Asylum Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

346 min (8 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD