Sex and the City: A Review of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
- Grace Copps
- 9 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Have you seen a lot of women wearing black turtlenecks and tiny sunglasses lately? They might have been inspired by Ryan Murphy’s latest television offering, FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
The nine-episode miniseries tells the story of the doomed romance between all-American political dynasty heir John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Calvin Klein publicist-turned-it girl Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon). In the show, the two meet at a gala, Carolyn plays hard to get, they fall in love against the backdrop of 1990s New York City, get married, buckle under the weight of the paparazzi and tabloids, then tragically die in a plane crash in July 1999. Along the way, Kennedy launches the ultimately short-lived political magazine George and grapples with the Kennedy legacy while Bessette struggles to preserve her identity despite being in a relationship with one of the most famous men in America.
The main couple are, as they should be, the beating heart of the show. Kelly and Pidgeon have incredible chemistry; sometimes, watching their shared scenes feels like intruding on an actual couple. Their first date, for example, takes place in a small Indian restaurant in the East Village, dim lighting softening the scene’s intimate close-ups. The couple’s wedding similarly comes to mind, taking place (as it did in real life) in a tiny, candle-lit chapel in Cumberland Island, Georgia. The wedding scene makes viewers feel as if they themselves are packed into the chapel watching, utilizing tightly shot close-ups of Kelly’s and Pidgeon’s eyes, mouths, and hands as they proceed through the wedding ceremony.
Pidgeon stands out, however, as the true star of the show as Carolyn Bessette in what will, hopefully, be her breakthrough performance. Following roles in The Wilds and Tiny Beautiful Things plus a Tony-nominated turn in Stereophonic on Broadway, Pigeon once again effortlessly transforms into the quintessential “cool girl.” She perfectly balances Bessette’s nonchalant exterior–relaying her personal dating mantra, “Date ‘em, train ‘em, dump ‘em”, to some of the Kennedy women during her first visit to the family’s Massachusetts compound, for example–with her growing feelings of entrapment under the parazzi’s eye.
Pidgeon’s Emmy submission will most likely be the show’s eighth episode, showcasing two intense fight scenes between the couple. The episode opens with a montage of Pidgeon smoking and staring off into the distance, dreading leaving the apartment and facing the clamoring crowd of paparazzi just outside the front door. At the end of the episode’s concluding fight scene, Pigeon breaks down, reminding her on-screen husband of the promise he made during their first dance: that their love would never end. In real life, we do not know much about Bessette (there are only a handful of clips of her speaking known to the public), but Pidgeon’s performance infuses her with life and grit (and nails her often-imitated style).
While Love Story is mainly about a heterosexual romance, the show truly belongs to the women (Paul Anthony Kelly is best when he just needs to stand there and look pretty.) Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep’s daughter!) and Constance Zimmer, who play Caroline Kennedy (JFK Jr.’s sister) and Ann Marie Messina (Carolyn’s mother), respectively, have a standout scene together in the finale as they grapple with the sudden, tragic loss of their loved ones. Gummer’s performance in the final episode, when the stoic Caroline breaks down in the wake of yet another untimely Kennedy death, is a heartbreaking highlight of the show.
While enjoyable, Love Story still carries a few faults. The script too often beats viewers over the head with foreshadowing, leaving little room for subtext and nuance. The first half of the show features a scene where Bessette and her fashion designer boss & friend Calvin Klein (a scene-stealing Alessandro Nivola) discuss the discovery of model Kate Moss for Klein’s ad campaign. Given Moss’ subsequent struggles with instantaneous fame, the pair disagree about Moss’ attitude and future in the spotlight. Klein’s insistence that Moss show gratitude for the attention she’s received so clearly mirrors Bessette’s own struggles and self-criticisms with notoriety that drive the second half of the show. While Bessette saying “Everything ends” and Kennedy replying “Not us” during their first dance at their wedding reception is a sweet moment, it also might as well be a giant neon sign reading “THEY ARE GOING TO DIE. START STOCKING UP ON TISSUES.”
One of the most interesting parts of Love Story falls outside of the show itself. Born five years after the deaths of Kennedy and Bessette, I was the one that convinced my parents, who read George magazine in the 1990s and remember where they were when they learned of the plane crash, to watch the show. Why has the show gained popularity among a generation far too young to remember the couple’s heyday?
Perhaps nostalgia still captivates Generation Z. A quick scroll through TikTok or Pinterest reveals that today’s teens and young adults yearn for the past, from “Y2K” fashion to 1990s and 2000s rom-coms. With an adolescence disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and an ever-turbulent and distressing news cycle constantly at our fingertips, graduating college into what feels like a job desert, and living with the social isolation of the Digital Age, many young adults are probably seeking to escape into a time period when they feel like life was,more normal, more fun–one better than the society they’ve been born into. Back in the 1990s, you could meet your partner without having to fight for your life on Hinge! You could afford to live in New York City!
When I was back home in New York City for Spring Break and watching that week’s episode with my parents, I turned to my mom and said, “I wish I could’ve experienced pre-9/11 New York.” For now, however, I will just have to settle for investing in some black turtlenecks and tiny sunglasses.
RATING: INDY
Grace Copps is a senior in the College majoring in Government and minoring in Journalism and Justice and Peace Studies. She is Co-Commentary Section Editor for the INDY. She wants to thank all of her lovely INDY friends, past and present, for four wonderful years!