11/22/63 plays on the age old question of if you could go back in time and change one event, what would it be? Most common answers are usually "Kill Hitler" or "Kill Trump" or "save the dinosaurs". In 2011 Stephen King answered that question himself in a haunting and exciting novel. I remember getting it the day it came out and devouring it in about two days. I couldn't put it down. And then last February the 8 episode miniseries hit Hulu but I wasn't interested at all. I've always been a doubter in King adaptations - of course there's a few exceptions to the rule - but mostly I'm let down. I still watch them all but when they started making King novels into TV shows, I couldn't take it. Under the Dome? Are you joking?
But since King is having a beautiful and well deserved comeback this year, including the new TV series The Mist which hits our screens this month, I thought I'd give 11.22.63 a try.
While it wasn't perfect, I had a great time watching it and ended up in a puddle of tears by the end.
Starring James Franco in the lead of Jake Epping, a freshly divorced English teacher, he is shown by his friend Al (Chris Cooper), who owns the local diner, that the diner has a secret within it. In the back closet is a portal that takes you to 1960. Al has been going for years but is now dying of cancer and needs Jake to take over his quest - to stop John F. Kennedy from being assassinated. The only problem? We don't actually know who killed him. There's countless theories from Lee Harvey Oswald to the mafia to Russia to the CIA to all of them working together. So Jake has to go back in time, find out who killed JFK and stop him/her before it happens.
In the past Jake joins forces with Bill who is played by the enchanting George MacKay and the lovely and intelligent Sadie, played by Sarah Gadon.
What did I love?
The cast was absolutely amazing - except for James Franco. Sarah Gadon is stunningly beautiful and plays Sadie with the utmost respect that makes you fall in love with her immediately. MacKay as Bill (a character not in the book) is a great addition that fills in the gaps that the book would've left by being turned into a TV show. Lucy Fry plays Marina Oswald and is incredibly powerful in her performance. Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald is like a young Ralph Fiennes, pulling off Lee's strange speech patterns and odd behavior incredibly well. Leon Rippy as Harry completely stole my heart and broke it with his emotional performance.
And how can I forget T.R. Knight as Johnny Clayton?!? Psychotic done right.
Yes, the cast is strong. The characters are stronger - there's so many great people in this story. And they way they weave together is incredibly well done.
I loved the scenery - it felt very 60's. The outfits were beautiful, the cars were awesome. And that soundtrack!!!!!!!!!!! Oh it was phenomenal. So many great music choices. And the opening score itself is so catchy. Reminds me very much of Catch me if you Can.
While a lot was changed from the book, the biggest I think being the addition of Bill and that in the book Jake ends up in 1958 not 1960, I was okay with the changes. They were smart changes that made it a mini-series that flowed and made sense. King has a lovely tendency of going on tangents and introducing a lot of background characters and creating very complex story lines. But this adaptation was handled well.
What didn't I love?
Honestly, the only thing I didn't love was James Franco. I've never been a big fan of his in the first place but I didn't want to judge his performance prematurely. But by the end of the first episode I was incredibly disappointed. And that continued on throughout the series. What makes it worse is him being surrounded by strong actors. He drowns in the dialogue and when it comes for an emotional scene it's dead. And I'm pretty sure those tears he had to cry all the time were CGI. It's such an absolute shame because there's so many phenomenal actors out there who could've done SO much better and in turn made this mini-series near perfect. He may look like a dapper 60's star when he's all dressed up, but then he opens his mouth and it all falls apart.
Overall?
I will absolutely watch this mini-series again. I feel really happy that it was done so well and does this massive King novel justice. I would also recommend it.
I also highly recommend picking up the book and reading it, don't be intimidated by it's size. This was an interesting departure for King with it being a historical fictional tale. But the horror is still there - when Jake comes back to 2011, the state he finds the world in is terrifying. 11/22/63 plays with the question of time travel and the butterfly effect and how even the smallest change can affect the entire world. It also speaks deeply to our darkest moments - those personal experiences we have that we lay awake thinking "what if that hadn't happened"..."what if had just...". I came out of the novel with a new found respect for my terrible experiences, knowing that I can't change what happened, and that perhaps that doesn't matter - they shape me.
“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why. Not until the future eats the present, anyway. We know when it's too late.”
Ugh...you guys...Stephen King is so great.
Also who the fuck shot JFK?! I feel like I've spent my whole life trying to figure that out. I would love to know how many hours in my lifetime I've spent researching that day. I can't even give you a "odds are" situation. I was sure it was the CIA for a few years until about three weeks ago when I listened to a three hour podcast that changed my mind AND NOW I DON'T KNOW!!!!!
8/10
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