Killing Kennedy (film)

Killing Kennedy
Promotional poster
Genre	Docudrama
Based on	Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly Martin Dugard
Written by	Kelly Masterson
Directed by	Nelson McCormick
Starring	Rob Lowe Will Rothhaar Ginnifer Goodwin Michelle Trachtenberg
Music by	Geoff Zanelli
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Ridley Scott David W. Zucker Mary Lisio Bill O'Reilly Teri Weinberg Howard Owens Noel Siegel Charlie Parsons Richard J. Wells
Producer	Larry Rapaport
Cinematography	Stephen St. John
Editor	Adam Wolfe
Running time	92 minutes
Production company	Scott Free Productions
Original release
Network	National Geographic Channel
Release	November 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)

Killing Kennedy is a 2013 American docudrama TV film directed by Nelson McCormick and written by Kelly Masterson, based on the 2012 non-fiction book of the same title by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. The film stars Rob Lowe, Will Rothhaar, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Michelle Trachtenberg. It dramatizes the presidency and assassination of John F. Kennedy, as well as the life of Lee Harvey Oswald in the years leading up to the assassination.

It premiered in the United States and Canada on National Geographic Channel on November 10, 2013,^[1] followed by the various European National Geographic channels a few days later.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It was first shown on terrestrial TV in the UK by Channel 4 on November 23, 2013 and in South Korea on November 21, 2013.^{[citation needed]}

Plot summary

The plot follows the rise of John F. Kennedy (Lowe) as he becomes President of the United States. As Kennedy's career shapes, Lee Harvey Oswald (Rothhaar), a former marine, begins to grow disillusioned with the US. Their paths ultimately cross and results in Oswald's assassination of Kennedy.

Main cast

• Rob Lowe as John F. Kennedy
• Will Rothhaar as Lee Harvey Oswald
• Ginnifer Goodwin as Jacqueline Kennedy
• Michelle Trachtenberg as Marina Oswald
• Jack Noseworthy as Robert F. Kennedy
• Francis Guinan as Lyndon B. Johnson
• Richard Flood as Kenny O'Donnell
• Natalie Gold as Ruth Paine
• Jamie McShane as US Moscow Embassy consul Richard Edward Snyder
• Brian Hutchison as USSS Special Agent Winston Lawson
• Casey Siemaszko as Jack Ruby
• Antoinette LaVecchia as Lady Bird Johnson
• Boris McGiver as FBI Special Agent John W. Fain
• Matt Micou as J. D. Tippit
• Keith Tyree as Governor John Connally
• Adrienne Nelson as Nellie Connally
• Lucas N Hall as Officer Atwell
• Roger W. Durrett as Admiral Arleigh Burke, Chief of Naval Operations
• Danny McCarthy as Agent James P. Hosty
• Parker Dowling as Buell Wesley Frazier
• Mike Shiflett as Captain Will Fritz
• Terry Menefee Gau as Nurse Doris Nelson
• Joseph Gray as Sergeant Gerald Hill
• Mary Pat Gleason as Marguerite Oswald

Production

After the success of Killing Lincoln, National Geographic Channel announced it would produce a film adaptation of Killing Kennedy.^[7][8] In May 2013, it was announced that Rob Lowe was to play President John F. Kennedy, Ginnifer Goodwin would play First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy,^[9][10] and Michelle Trachtenberg would portray Lee Harvey Oswald's wife Marina Oswald.^[9] Goodwin used intimate photos to better portray Jackie Kennedy and was concerned "to do her justice and to play her as accurately as possible without ever doing an impression of her."^[11] Costar Rob Lowe said of seeing Goodwin in the pink Chanel suit, "It made it real. If I were under any illusions about what we were doing, seeing her in that iconic moment was, I would say, sobering."^[12] While portraying Marina Oswald, Trachtenberg consulted her Russian-born mother for help in speaking Russian.^[13] Filming took place in Richmond, Virginia.^[10][12]

Reception

On its original airing, it drew in 3,354,000 viewers, averaging a 1.1 rating with adults in the 25-54 demographic. The viewership broke the record previously held by Killing Lincoln which averaged 3,351,000 viewers.^[14]

Critical response

Killing Kennedy received mixed reviews from both viewers and critics.^{[15][16][17][18]} On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an approval rating of 56% based on 18 reviews, with an average of 5.9/10.^[19] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[20]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominee	Result
2014	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Movie/Miniseries	Killing Kennedy	Nominated
	Directors Guild of America Award	Outstanding Directing – Television Film	Nelson McCormick	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Rob Lowe	Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Award	Long Form – Adaptation	Kelly Masterson	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Television Movie		Nominated
		Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries Or Movie	Stephen St. John	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or A Movie	William Britt, Mark Linden & Tara Paul	Nominated

See also

• Assassination of John F. Kennedy in popular culture
• Robert F. Kennedy in media
• Cultural depictions of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

References

1. "TV listings, November 10, 2013, at 8:00pm: Killing Kennedy". National Geographic Canada. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
2. "TV listings, November 12, 2013, at 9:00pm: Killing Kennedy". National Geographic UK. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
3. "TV listings, November 17, 2013, at 22:00: Killing Kennedy". National Geographic Denmark. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
4. "TV listings, November 17, 2013, at 22:00: Kennedy-mordet". National Geographic Sweden. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
5. "TV listings, November 20, 2013, at 20:40: Killing Kennedy". National Geographic France. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
6. "TV listings, November 22, 2013, at 21:05: Killing Kennedy". National Geographic Germany. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
7. "Bill O'Reilly's 'Killing Lincoln' Sets NatGeo Ratings Record". Inquistir, Ld. The Inquistir. February 21, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
8. Hibberd, James (February 18, 2013). "'Killing Lincoln' gives NatGeo record ratings". Entertainment Weekly Inc. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
9. Hibberd, James (May 28, 2013). "Rob Lowe to play JFK in Nat Geo movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
10. Barnes, Bronwyn (June 20, 2013). "Who makes a better Jackie Kennedy: Ginnifer Goodwin or Katie Holmes? -- POLL". Entertainment Weekly.
11. Truitt, Brian (November 10, 2013). "Ginnifer Goodwin channels Jackie Kennedy's intimate side". USA Today.
12. "'Killing Kennedy': Co-star Ginnifer Goodwin says Rob Lowe was channeling JFK". Fox News. November 8, 2013.
13. "Michelle Trachtenberg got the role she wanted in 'Killing Kennedy,' and it wasn't Jackie Kennedy". New York Daily News.
14. O'Connell, Michael (November 11, 2013). "TV Ratings: 'Killing Kennedy' Edges Past 'Killing Lincoln' Record With 3.4 Million Viewers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
15. Carson, Tom (November 8, 2013). "The GQ Review: Killing Kennedys Is Way More Fun Than The Zillion Other JFK Biopics". gq.com.
16. Miller, Bruce (November 9, 2013). "Review: 'Killing Kennedy' offers respectful but grating view of assassination". siouxcityjournal.com.
17. Lloyd, Robert (November 8, 2013). "Review: 'Killing Kennedy' is not the stuff of legend". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
18. Lowry, Brian (November 5, 2013). "TV Review: 'Killing Kennedy'". Variety.
19. "Killing Kennedy (2013)", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 2019-05-27
20. "Killing Kennedy reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 17, 2020.

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived October 30, 2013)
• Killing Kennedy at IMDb