Judging by the trailer, the eight-part miniseries The Kennedys, which has endured nearly as much bad luck as its titular family, is even worse than you've heard. Which is saying a lot considering how much has already been said about the project -- starring Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as the fabled first couple in Camelot -- that the History Channel, Showtime, FX and and Starz all flat-out refused to air.
Fortunately for history masochists everywhere, Reelz snapped up the distribution rights at a bargain bin rate and will premiere this eight-part series on April 3. No, it can't be that bad. Even though historians cried "character assassination" and historical inaccuracies after reading the script, the project, which allegedly cost $30 million, looks like a quality mini-series. Academy Award nominees Greg Kinnear and Tom Wilkinson (who plays Joe Kennedy) are wonderful in nearly every project they've ever done, so by some kind of entertainment transitive property, how could they not be here? True Grit actor Barry Pepper pulls off a convincing Bobby Kennedy, and may take the door prize for Best Kennedy Dialect. The costumes are impeccable.
But Katie Holmes. Poor, poor Katie Holmes. Attempting to play Jackie Kennedy was a losing battle from the start and here, Holmes is able to look elegant and poised. The problem appears to be when she opens her mouth. In some parts of the trailer, she delivers a back alley acting class rendition of Upper Class Massachusetts and in other parts, she speaks with no accent at all -- relying on that lop-sided grin and constant blinking that Anne Hathaway parodied so effectively on Saturday Night Live.
VERDICT: Not sold! And curious whether the Razzie Awards have a category for Worst Actress in a Made-For-Television movie yet.