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John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Review B000WGWQG8

I was never interested in American history in school, but today's political scene has given me cause to wish I would have paid more attention. This HBO Miniseries is outstanding. It is captivating and leaves you in awe of the sacrifices made by our founding fathers and their families. It is much more than just a history lesson. It is a beautiful love story of John and Abigal Adams and the trials and tribulations they faced together. It is the story of the deep friendship which developed between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It is an action packed story of the defeat of the British. It is a story of courage and commitment from which our freedom was born. I watched the whole series in a single weekend because I simply couldn't stop. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney were remarkable in their roles as John Adams and Abigale Adams. An outstanding job HBO! We need more historical works made interesting!

John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Overview

John Adams is a sprawling HBO miniseries event that depicts the extraordinary life and times of one of Americas least understood, and most underestimated, founding fathers: the second President of the United States, John Adams. Starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man, HBOs American Spendor) in the title role and Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, Kinsey) as Adams devoted wife Abigail, John Adams chronicles the extraordinary life journey of one of the primary shapers of our independence and government, whose legacy has often been eclipsed by more flamboyant contemporaries like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. Set against the backdrop of a nations stormy birth, this sweeping miniseries is a moving love story, a gripping narrative, and a fascinating study of human nature. Above all, at a time when the nation is increasingly polarized politically, this story celebrates the shared values of liberty and freedom upon which this country was built.

John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Specifications

Based on David McCullough's bestselling biography, the HBO miniseries John Adams is the furthest thing from a starry-eyed look at America's founding fathers and the brutal path to independence. Adams (Paul Giamatti), second president of the United States, is portrayed as a skilled orator and principled attorney whose preference for justice over anti-English passions earns enemies. But he also gains the esteem of the first national government of the United States, i.e., the Continental Congress, which seeks non-firebrands capable of making a reasoned if powerful case for America's break from England's monarchy. The first thing one notices about John Adams' dramatizations of congress' proceedings, and the fervent pro-independence violence in the streets of Boston and elsewhere, is that America's roots don't look pretty or idealized here. Some horrendous things happen in the name of protest, driving Adams to push the cause of independence in a legitimate effort to get on with a revolutionary war under the command of George Washington. But the process isn't easy: not every one of the 13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England, and behind-the-scenes negotiations prove as much a part of 18th century congressional sessions as they do today.

Besides this peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to draft the U.S. constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the story of two key ties: Adams' 54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous, as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh

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Customer Reviews

Leave it to HBO..... - Hubbell Gardner - NC
to make the best miniseries about the history of this country and the great men who, even with having their human flaws and differences, fought for everything they did to make this country what it is supposed to be. Sad to say that if they could see the mess it is in today.........they would be amazingly disappointed and mad as hell !!!!



Very Far Left View of Founding Fathers. - Roland F Cyr - Plymouth, CT, US
This HBO series depicts George Washington as an idiot. Ben Franklin as a playboy in Paris. John Adams as an angry, frustrated man, poor husband, poor father. I should have not expected historical facts from HBO and Tom Hanks; even most of the players are far left individuals. Will be used to indoctrinate our young children guaranteed. Would not recommend wasting your time on this.



Some praise, and four gripes - Ronald Kozar - Dayton, Ohio
A fine series - both educational and dramatic. Among many other things that other reviewers have rightly applauded, the producers skillfully captured the subtle changes in dress and culture over the decades covered by this epic.

But, alas, here are my four biggest gripes:

First, most of the dialogue is whispered rather than spoken. I had to turn the volume way up to hear it.

Second, the cameraman has the annoying habit of deliberately shaking the camera, especially in the earlier episodes. He really wants you to know that the camera is hand-held.

Third, the portrayal of Abigail Adams is hokey throughout. She is presented as an all-patient, all-knowing pillar of quiet strength and wisdom for her husband who, unlike her, comes across as a mere, whiney mortal. Laura Linney, the actress who plays Abigail, keeps her brow frozen in an uncomfortable-looking expression of pain and forbearance that must have given her a headache. It didn't take long for me to get tired of looking at her.

Fourth, the scene of the Adamses copulating shortly after Abigail's arrival in France is gratuitous, as is the needless non-erotic shot of their daughter's breast in the final episode. These were added, I suppose, to bring the series into compliance with the Law on Mandatory Sex and Nudity in All Productions.




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