Official Synopsis:
What our new nation was suffering attacks from both within and without, John Adams had a vision of a nation of liberty and justice for all. He guided his peers - General George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson - in setting the values and agenda for a glorious, free America. Adams and his wife Abigail refined these ambitious democratic ideals, and their partnership became one of the most moving love stories in American history.  John Adams, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book from Author David McCullough, is now the critically acclaimed seven-part miniseries from HBO Films - a sprawling, epic production from executive producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, two of the men who brought you the Emmy-award winning Band of Brothers.  Starring Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man) and Laura Linney (The Savages) as John and Abigail Adams, directed by Emmy winner Tom Hooper (Elizabeth I) and adapted by Kirk Ellis and Michelle Ashford from McCullough's book, John Adams is the incredible saga of a man who dreamed a nation and watched it come true.

Our Take:
John Adams, the incredibly well-received and popular HBO miniseries, features one of my favorite actors in one of my least favorite performances. Paul Giamatti finally gets the lead role of a lifetime in this seven-episode film experience, but for the most part I don’t really enjoy him in it. I’m not sure if it’s the pseudo-British accent that, while probably authentic, is somewhat grating, or the fact that his upper lip is nowhere to be seen for the entire movie, but the overblown nature of Giamatti’s performance was a real disappointment to me. I just don’t feel as if he was the right choice for the role, even though he’s an actor that I consider to be very versatile.  

That being said, John Adams is still an enjoyable outing. With a huge budget and terrific production values, the film looks terrific and has some really effective passages that recreate historical events. Where it suffers a bit, though, is that this is really a film for history buffs. I doubt people who aren’t interested in American history will really get swept up by it. Most likely, they’ll enjoy it on the level that I did; the more exciting trial and battle and scenes kept my interest, but the lengthy dialogues between characters tended to lose me a bit.

There are a few extra features included on the three-disc release of John Adams.

- David McCullough: Painting With Words - A rare and personal glimpse at the life and works of author David McCullough, upon whose book the movie is based.
- Facts Are Stubborn Things - An exclusive onscreen textual historical guide.
- The Making Of John Adams.

John Adams is based on the hugely successful biography by David McCullough, and while I haven’t read the tome personally, the HBO adaptation seems like an impressive effort to bring the page to the screen. The film is definitely worth watching, but Giamatti’s odd performance and the occasionally dry historical nature of it all may lose a few viewers along the way.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B
DVD: B

- Mike Spring

Editor