Entertainment
FX’s ‘Love Story’ Misses the Mark With Its Depiction of This Hollywood Icon
Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Love Story Episodes 1-3.
Ryan Murphy is a producer linked to never-ending controversies courtesy of his ongoing Monster anthology series, but Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette represents a far more thoughtful approach to a ripped-from-the-headlines celebrity story. There have been many films and shows centered around the Kennedy family, but Love Story explores the passionate, tempestuous marriage between John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) before their tragic deaths in a 1999 plane crash. The Kennedys were involved with many powerful figures in both Washington, D.C. and Hollywood, and Love Story depicts the brief romance between JFK Jr. and the actress Daryl Hannah, portrayed in the show by Dree Hemingway.
Due to his family’s influence and political legacy, Kennedy was encouraged to pursue a career in service of his country and completed the bar exam in New York after two unsuccessful attempts. At the same time, Kennedy was also involved in lifestyle and popular culture institutions, and began dating Hannah in the late 1980s before they split up in 1994. Hemingway admitted that the actors were encouraged not to contact the subjects they portrayed, which has remained consistent on all the anthology shows that Murphy has produced except American Crime Story: Impeachment, in which Monica Lewinsky was involved. This may have been a noble attempt to ensure that the depiction of these figures was unbiased, but it’s more problematic when the series also invents plot elements that skew the way that events are perceived.
‘Love Story’ Doesn’t Accurately Depict JFK Jr.’s Relationship With Daryl Hannah
Love Story is only focused on a condensed period of time within Kennedy’s life, meaning that it only shows the end portion of his relationship with Hannah. Despite reports that they had been happily dating within the first few years of meeting, Love Story doesn’t explore any of the affection that Kennedy and Hannah had for each other, since the series begins when their relationship is already in a downward spiral. Even when ignoring the fact that Love Story only depicts Hannah in a negative light, implying she was completely oblivious to the media attention that Kennedy had inflicted upon him, the series doesn’t grant her the depth provided to other supporting characters like Calvin Klein (Alessandro Nivola).
Murphy should consider returning to the anthology series that brought him the most prestige.
Love Story‘s most glaring invention so far is the implied tension between Hannah and Kennedy’s mother, Jackie Onassis (Naomi Watts). There are conflicting reports about whether there was any friction between the two women, but Love Story assumes the worst by suggesting that Jackie’s objections prevented Kennedy from marrying Hannah. It’s also not a particularly even-sided conflict, as the series is far more sympathetic to Jackie, who is portrayed as a helpful and supportive maternal figure before her death in the third episode, “America’s Widow.”
‘Love Story’ Contributes to a Skewed Version of American History
Interpreting historical ambiguities may have been inevitable for Love Story, but the show’s characterization of Hannah is especially unfortunate given how over-the-top and obnoxious her portrayal is. In addition to implying that Hannah’s involvement with drug users caused stress within Kennedy’s life, the series also includes a strange moment in which she equates the death of her dog to the loss of Jackie. Beyond a larger unwillingness to contact Hannah, Love Story’s producers didn’t follow any accounts that were slightly sympathetic to her position; the show was inspired by the non-fiction novel Once Upon a Time by Elizabeth Beller and also draws from The Other Man, a memoir by Bessette’s former lover, Michael Berman (Michael Nathanson). Considering that Love Story is otherwise a very well-crafted drama show that is thoughtful in its approach to an unfortunate situation, Hannah’s highly negative portrayal feels more glaring in contrast.
Although Hannah has yet to make any public statements about the series, the real actress might not be able to change the narrative, given that Murphy has largely ignored criticisms from the subjects of his other shows. There’s no case for libel when the series states outright that some events are fictionalized, but given the frequent allusions to very specific events and dates, Love Story may give many viewers the impression that its version is mostly accurate. It’s worth noting that in the aftermath of the crash, Hannah did not show any ill will towards Kennedy or Bessette and has been praised in recent years for her advocacy on behalf of environmentalist groups. It’s a shame that her essence was reduced to a stereotype of an out-of-touch actress.