John Adams

So what is this one about?
Man, remember the first President? He was so amazing, what, with winning the Revolutionary War, giving up the office after two terms so as to avoid becoming a tyrant, and him never telling a lie. Ah yes, he was the best President ever.

Oh man, and what about the third President? He only wrote the Declaration of Independence and doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. No biggie.

But wait, I've skipped some President who was sandwiched in between those two fine Virginians. Who the heck was it. I hear he was obnoxious and disliked. And short. And grumpy. And from, GASP, Massachusetts. What was his name?!

Oh yeah, John Adams.

Paul Giamatti stars in this sweeping Emmy winner for Best Miniseries that chronicles the astonishing life of founding father John Adams: revolutionary leader, America's first ambassador to England, the first vice president and the second president. The iconic cast of characters includes Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), George Washington (David Morse), Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) and many more.

Right, that was his name. John Adams.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, technically I paid nothing, because I got my mom to rent me these dvds at the biggest damn blockbuster I have seen since high school. And she spent nearly $20. But she did it because she felt sorry for me because I couldn't eat or drink because I was having a colonoscopy done the next next day. (I do not recommend that)

And what did I think?
Jeebus, what did I think!?! I thought it was flipping amazing. A.MAZ.ING!!

For everyone who knew me in high school, you will know, and well, still know, that I am incredibly nerdy. My Virginia pride, and love for Colonial Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson are unending. And this miniseries brought to life one of my absolute favorite times in American history.

The portrayal of the times was so realistic, it was really like watching the founding of America unfurl before my very eyes. It was incredible. If I were a US history teacher I would absolutely use this as a teaching resource. (which is easy, thanks to HBO and their available 'teacher's guide' at their website. Ah, HBO, not only is everything you make completely amazing, but you are looking out for the youth of America in their academic pursuits.)

The settings were realistic, and the accents were fabulous. But the single greatest thing about this miniseries--no, it wasn't the masectomy of Sarah Polley, it wasn't the tarring and feathering of a British official, it wasn't the fruity Frenchies when Ben Franklin and J. Adams hopped off to Paris, it wasn't Sam Adams the brewer patriot, and it wasn't Jefferson at Monticello--it was the casting. Yes, the CASTING. It was the single most extraordinary casting job ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. In the history of tv miniseries. I can say this with no hesitation.

Now, how can I know this, you ask? Seeing as how all we have are drawings of the founding fathers. Well, the answer is, I just know. Also, I have seen 1776 like a million times. But seriously, the casting was amazing. Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin was amazing. The guy who played George Washington, amazing. The casting of John Adams, man, I am going to tell you, Adams was a real troll of a man compared to the other F.F.s, but Giamatti hit it spot on. Now, I will take breif issue with the guy who played Alexander Hamilton because, let's be serious, we've all seen the $10 bill and we therefore know that A. Hamilton was a stone cold fox, and that man who played him was full on ugly. (He didn't even have an alibi). And the entire casting of the Philadelphia convention where the DoI was being drafted, well, I could pick those guys out without even hearing their names...that is how good the casting was/how nerdy I am (aka, how many times I have seen 1776). No, the greatest casting was of Thomas Jefferson. Stephen Dillane was the greatest casting ever. He didn't just play Thomas Jefferson, he WAS Thomas Jefferson.

Here is where I will include a youtube video of all the TJ clips that some loooooser put together. You will see that Dillane's portrayal of TJ was amazing. Unless you don't know as much about him as I do, and then you'll just think, um, alright. neat? Well, I will tell you, it IS neat. He completely embodied what TJ was supposed to have been like. And good god. The resemblance is just uncanny. It was really like he was brought back to life. You know, in that non-zombie way.

So anyway, as much as I love to hate on Tom Hanks, and his stupid way of being, "oooooh, look at meeeeee, I'm Tom Hanks! Everything I do it greeeeeeeeeat. Give me and Oscar! Oh wait, I have a million already. My son looks just like me!" I have to admit. John Adams was incredible. In fact, if you have seen me in the past few weeks you know that it is all I want to talk about anymore. So really, just avoid me, because it is incredibly nerdy.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
As if you even needed to ask. John Adams gets a 10.