From Critics at Large: Why We Cling to the Kennedy Myth

Summary of From Critics at Large: Why We Cling to the Kennedy Myth

by The New Yorker

52m•March 20, 2026
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Overview of From Critics at Large: Why We Cling to the Kennedy Myth

This Critics at Large episode (The New Yorker) uses the viral Ryan Murphy series Love Story — about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette — as a springboard to examine America’s recurring fascination with the Kennedys. Hosts Vincent Cunningham, Alex Schwartz, and Nomi Fry discuss the show’s aesthetics, family pushback, the cultural impulse to mythologize the Kennedys, and how image, celebrity, and politics have intertwined across generations of the family.

Key takeaways

  • Love Story succeeds as a visual, nostalgic "lookbook" of 1990s New York and celebrity style, but fails to convincingly render complex interior lives or political context.
  • The public reaction to the series (and to casting/wardrobe choices) illustrates intense ownership by fans over Kennedy imagery — down to hair color, coat fabrics, and sunglasses.
  • There is a persistent tension between aestheticizing famous figures (fashion, photo-worthy moments) and the ethical/political consequences of turning real lives into entertainment — especially when family members object.
  • The Kennedy myth persists because of a combination of factors: youth and tragedy (JFK assassination), the rise of televised celebrity politics (1960 debates), charismatic performance as political capital, conspiracy culture, and dynastic storytelling.
  • The Kennedys function as a national mirror: they inspire ideas of service and aspiration, even while their personal failings, abuses of power, and internal darkness complicate any simple heroic narrative.
  • Contemporary politics complicate the myth: RFK Jr.’s public role and policy positions (and related family tragedies like Tatiana Schlossberg’s death) show how the family's symbolic status can mask or clash with political consequences.

Topics discussed

  • Love Story (Ryan Murphy) — casting, performances (Paul Anthony Kelly, Sarah Pidgeon), aesthetic strengths, narrative weaknesses
  • Fan / social-media reaction: ownership, style policing, viral nostalgia
  • Family objections and ethics of dramatizing recent real lives (Jack Schlossberg vs. Ryan Murphy; Daryl Hannah’s op-ed)
  • The role of paparazzi and fandom in shaping/consuming Kennedy imagery
  • Other Kennedy portrayals and texts:
    • Jackie (2016 film, Natalie Portman; Pablo Larraín direction)
    • Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991) and conspiracy culture
    • Gary Wills’s The Kennedy Imprisonment (analysis of image, power)
    • American Prince (recent CNN/HBO documentary about JFK Jr.)
  • Joe Kennedy (patriarch) as a formative, lesser-known part of the dynasty — upcoming Michael Fassbender project
  • Broader cultural questions: charisma vs. substance, celebrity presidency, dynastic politics, and how nostalgia can obscure accountability

Notable insights & quotes

  • Gary Wills (quoted in the episode): “When one man's personality is an administration's most potent tool, then efficient use of resources dictates a cult of that personality. A shrewd administrator must...join in the contriving of images to celebrate the prince.” — a capsule of how style and political power merged in the Kennedy era.
  • The show functions as “a visual album/lookbook” — effective at evoking a lifestyle and era but thin on complexity.
  • Hosts’ aggregated judgments: entertaining but flawed; John F. Kennedy Jr. is often idealized on-screen, Carolyn is sometimes flattened into a brittle (or saintly) image, and secondary real figures (e.g., Daryl Hannah) are caricatured.

Recommendations / further reading & viewing

  • If you want more context beyond Love Story:
    • Read The Kennedy Imprisonment by Gary Wills (image, power, and myth).
    • Watch Jackie (2016) for a stylized exploration of Jackie Kennedy’s public role and spin of Camelot.
    • Revisit Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991) to see how conspiracy narratives around the family persist.
    • Watch American Prince (CNN/HBO documentary) for a recent doc perspective on JFK Jr.’s cultural pull.
    • Look up Tatiana Schlossberg’s New Yorker essay for a firsthand, affecting reflection tied to contemporary family issues.
  • When watching dramatizations of real people: be attentive to what is being aestheticized vs. what is examined critically; check primary sources and family statements for context.

Final summary

The episode uses Love Story to show how the Kennedys remain culturally magnetic because they combine glamour, tragedy, political spectacle, and dynastic storytelling. Contemporary portrayals tend to favor image over inquiry — they recreate the look and mood that draw viewers while often softening or simplifying moral and political complexities. The result is both addictive nostalgia and a recurring ethical question: how (and whether) culture should dramatize recent lives that continue to have political meaning and real-world consequences.