In ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,’ travails of the very famous and beautiful
Beautiful, wealthy people have problems too, you know. Plus, it’s really fun to stare at them. For what it’s worth, “Love Story,” created by Connor Hines under the massive Murphy production umbrella, elucidates such problems quite well. Kennedy (played by Paul Anthony Kelly) isn’t just famous and gorgeous, splashed onto the cover of People magazine as the sexist man alive; he’s also part of a political dynasty with a tragic history. His mom (Naomi Watts, sinking her teeth into the aristocratic bearing of Jackie Kennedy) can be a tad demanding. John really just wants to ride his bicycle around New York, backward Yankees cap perched atop his lush head of hair, and figure out what he’s supposed to do with his life. And maybe pass the bar exam, which he has flunked twice (“THE HUNK FLUNKS … AGAIN,” brayed the Daily News headline at the time).
From left: Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis.Eric Liebowitz/FX
Enter Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon), a Boston University graduate, and now a fast climber as a “VIP whisperer” for Calvin Klein (played by Boston native Alessandro Nivola). John and Carolyn catch each other’s eye entering a swanky fund-raiser as Peter Gabriel’s “Blood of Eden” sets the mood on the soundtrack. John is smitten with Carolyn’s natural confidence. She’s wary of the Kennedy mystique and the fishbowl life that comes with it. Plus, he’s already dating Daryl Hannah. Poor guy. But her reluctance piques his interest even further. She doesn’t want him for his name or fame. Could it work out between them? Answer: There’s a TV series about them. So yeah.
The aforementioned layers of glamour provide fuel for this kind of Murphy project. Is that Grace Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter, playing Caroline Kennedy? Why, yes, it is. And is that Dree Hemingway, daughter of Mariel Hemingway, playing Hannah? Right again. Come to think of it, Murphy might have a thing for nepo babies. And we haven’t even gotten to Leila George, daughter of Vincent D’Onofrio and Greta Scacchi, who plays Kelly Klein, Calvin’s wife.
Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein.Eric Liebowitz/FX
To those who might argue that none of this matters: Of course it does. This is a story that revolves around a dynastic family and the outsider in their midst, and it’s also about the allure and double-edged sword of fame and image. And, let’s face it, it’s about the thrill of looking at beautiful people, a thrill only amplified when that beauty meets tragedy.
Anyone drawn to “Love Story” will probably already know about that tragedy, and the series marches toward that fateful small plane crash with attention to what Kennedy and Bessette build and endure along the way. “Love Story” uses both Carolyn’s story and Jackie’s perspective — she’s almost like an oracle — to make the case that life as a Kennedy spouse can’t be easy. Of course, it also makes the case that life as a Kennedy spouse seems impossibly alluring and sexy.
I’m not a big Murphy fan, but I enjoyed the poisoned-pen self-immolation drama of “Capote vs. The Swans,” and I appreciate “Love Story,” too, mostly because I can sense the passion that the Murphy machine feels for the gossipy, gilded, and, yes, glamorous nature of the material. Pidgeon’s Carolyn isn’t quite an underdog; she’s more of a Cinderella who really likes nice things. Kelly’s Kennedy is, well, very handsome. These aren’t great performances, but they convey something essential about the show’s worldview, if you can call it that. Rather than hate on the rich and pretty, Hines and Murphy hate on those who would make the rich and pretty go through hell to get a bite to eat.
There’s a little irony here. A show like “Love Story” fetishizes the Kennedys and Bessettes of the world every bit as much as the paparazzi, tabloids, and autograph hounds did. The series is a master class in having your cake and eating it, too. And man, does that cake look good.
LOVE STORY
Starring Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Anthony Kelly, Grace Gummer, Naomi Watts, Alessandro Nivola, Noah Fearnley, Dree Hemingway, Ben Shenkman, and Erich Bergen. First three episodes premiere on FX and Hulu at 9 p.m. Feb. 12; each subsequent episode airs the same time on the following Thursdays.
Chris Vognar can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram at @chrisvognar and on Bluesky at chrisvognar.bsky.social.
