Movie #1940 "Defending Jacob" (miniseries on Apple - 8 episodes, 50 mins each) --- this was riveting as was the book to me. This is the kind of show I get involved in, wondering how it will end --- trying to guess with every twist and turn along the way. This was a dark, cold, tense watch, though, so maybe not your cup of tea. Once Jacob gets charged with the murder (which happens quite quickly), you are there in the house facing what they face on a daily basis. He's an only child and he seems to have a great relationship with the two parents, and they seem to be good at dealing with what I would call (as a teacher) a challenging high schooler. He doesn't laugh much --- he is very polite to his folks --- he is very cerebral and it's hard to guess what is on his mind --- he answers questions they ask him (yes he is bullied at school, yes, he had homework and he does it), but he's a kid who tests boundaries, lives on the computer and loves video games --- but that's typical. This actor Jaeden Martel I have been watching since he was the little guy in "St Vincent with Bill lMurray, and worked so well with Murray --- and I have heard he isn't that easy to deal with. He worked with the little guy from "Room" and ran that movie very capably ("The Book of Henry), was with Clive Owen in "Confirmation," and in two seasons of "Masters of Sex" playing Michael Sheehan's son, and played a younger Chris Evans. And now he is with Chris Evans as his son -- I really think this is a tough part to play because he has to straddle the line of possibly being guilty AND possibly being innocent. The parents are good, esp. the mom Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey) --- she goes through quite a bit here and she's very convincing. Chris Evans is okay --- I got used to him --- I wanted to shake him once in a while to know what he was thinking (he stares off a lot in space) --- Overall, in this film I liked a glimpse of what it was like to be famous in a moment in time, esp. for this seemingly solid family who kept to themselves much of the time. But what I really liked about the book and the movie is the idea that the father KNOWS everything that's going to happen in this investigation --- how the district attorney and the police will play it, how the defending attorney should play it, every angle except the possible perpetrator's point of view. And being on the other side is hard for him and enlightening on so many levels. And This isn't giving anything away (because if you google the differences in book and movie, you will get this answer), but the ending is different here from the book. and I'd be happy to discuss why you thought they changed it. But I don't want to ruin it for anyone reading this blog --- but it would be interesting to see what you thought about the ending they did here. (whether you read the book or not) I liked both, really. To be honest, I couldn't remember the ending of the book until I was reminded in the internet articles (that's something I do a lot, so it's nothing against the book). But I remembered that I really loved the book -- gave it 5 stars out of 5 because it was such a quick read and I bought all the twists and turns, and thought it was a good thriller. Here, I'm giving it a 4.5 because I spent more time with this family, and so that gave me a different emotional feeling about the story, and I saw it as more of an investigation on parenting, manipulation of evidence in a case, how we really might not know the people we live with and see on a daily basis, how some things we can never be sure, and a lot more things. Bottom Line, I thought there was more to the story that I watched unfold in the film in comparison to the book, which was more "by the book" if you know what I mean. I highly recommend it, and it is worth the time, which goes by pretty fast. That's what I always want to know before I invest much time in any of these miniseries. 4.5 out of 5.
"DEFENDING JACOB" 2020 miniseries 8 episodes, about 50 mins each
The limited drama series is a gripping, character-driven thriller based on the 2012 New York Times best selling novel of the same name by William Landay. An assistant DA's world is shattered when his beloved son gets charged with murder.
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