Once again, Viola Davis proves how overrated she is. The lip puckering thing she endlessly does is distracting and annoying. I don't recall Michelle Obama pursing her lips that much or having so many ridiculous facial expressions. I can easily imagine Michelle Obama watching this and asking Barak, "Do I really do that with my lips all the time and make such comical facial expressions?!" (I hope she and Davis aren't friends because this would seriously test their friendship.) The actress who plays the young Michelle Obama does a much better job and keeps her lips tucked in too! Thankfully, there's such a thing as fast forwarding.
Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal of Betty Ford is the only thing that makes this worth watching and I predict she'll win an Emmy. She deserves it. Gillian Anderson tries hard and has her moments, but still falls short as Eleanor Roosevelt. (I guess the producers figured that if she could play Margaret Thatcher, she could also play Eleanor Roosevelt. They were wrong.)
Also, in a attempt at sounding "now" and attracting a certain demographic, the writers throw in a lot of f-bombs simply because it's Showtime and they can. Or maybe they assumed that everybody uses foul language when arguing with a spouse because they do with theirs. At any rate, watch it for Michelle Pfeiffer, but don't expect much else except pursed lips, buck teeth, and second-rate impersonations.
Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal of Betty Ford is the only thing that makes this worth watching and I predict she'll win an Emmy. She deserves it. Gillian Anderson tries hard and has her moments, but still falls short as Eleanor Roosevelt. (I guess the producers figured that if she could play Margaret Thatcher, she could also play Eleanor Roosevelt. They were wrong.)
Also, in a attempt at sounding "now" and attracting a certain demographic, the writers throw in a lot of f-bombs simply because it's Showtime and they can. Or maybe they assumed that everybody uses foul language when arguing with a spouse because they do with theirs. At any rate, watch it for Michelle Pfeiffer, but don't expect much else except pursed lips, buck teeth, and second-rate impersonations.