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.Running Time: 501 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929020065 Manufacturer No: 1000038820
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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
John Adams is worth it:
Excellent acting, wonderful costumes and sets and a great script makes this mini-series thoroughly enjoyable. Laura Linney's performance is worth it alone.
Surprisingly great, even from libertarian perspective:
As a libertarian, I am not a fan of John Adams nor of statist hagiographer David McCullough. I read McCullough's Truman at the urging of my grandfather and found it to be boring and ridiculously aggrandizing of the state, the presidency, and Truman the man. I had no intention of watching this HBO miniseries but did so, reluctantly, at the urging of my father-in-law. He certainly gave better advice than my granddad! Words cannot properly express how much I enjoyed this production. It is, without a... more info
John Adams DVD:
After watching the mini series on HBO I became so enthralled with it, I had to order the DVD (which by the way was promptly delivered to me in 3 days). This 7 hr series is so riveting in it's depiction of our founding fathers and their struggle for our country's independence; it greatly reawakened my interest in early American history. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are both outstanding and deserve Emmys for their performances. Well done !!!
Unnecessary nudity and poor camera technique:
Sadly, as in many movies based on books, the book was better. They play with the facts. The tar and feather scene shows full frontal nudity which was completely unnecessary. Unfortunately I didn't preview this before my children watched it with the family. The Boston Massacre is a pivotal event in American History. Too bad they didn't represent it accurately. Products of public school education will be easily misled. The cinematography is very poor. Many of the shots are way out of frame and the... more info
