America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003) starring Kristoffer Polaha, Portia de Rossi, Jacqueline Bisset, Tara Chocol, Robert Smith directed by Eric Laneuville Movie Review

America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Kristoffer Polaha in America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003)

The Weight on His Shoulders

I find it really interesting the fascination with the Kennedy family, but I should first clarify something, I am a Brit who was born in 1972. For that reason my knowledge of the Kennedy family is a lot less than for those who are American's and for that reason I have never really paid a great deal of attention to them but have always been curious as to why the Kennedy family were held in such high esteem. It is for that reason I sat down to watch "America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story" in the hope of trying to understand why the fascination with the family and the off spring.

Now in fairness for someone with no real knowledge "America's Prince" sort of works as it takes us through various events in the life of John F. Kennedy Jr. starting with the fatal plane crash. It highlights the pressure which John Jr. felt being the son of a much loved President who is forced to live his life in the papers. It also highlights how walking in his father's shadows was a huge weight on his shoulders especially with the level of expectation which came from being the son of JFK. It also shows how he tried to fight the career trap after studying to be a lawyer as that is what was expected of him.

Now that is all fair and well and is interesting enough for those like me who have not been part of the interest in the Kennedy family. But as a movie "America's Prince" borders on the excruciating with some terrible over acting and the inclusion of cheesy faux interview elements which are as subtle as being hit with a brick. The whole series of scenes involving his relationship with Daryl Hannah and his mother's dislike of him dating an actress is hilarious because they have to drop in a bit about Marilyn Monroe in there. I could go on because I found myself laughing again and again at the way this movie is constructed with some painfully melodramatic scenes.

What this all boils down to is that "America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story" is kind of enlightening for those who watch with no knowledge of the Kennedy family. But at the same time stylistically it is one of the worst movies I have watched which lacks the subtlety to really make it feel work.


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