All rise and be seated! The court will now hear motions in the case of Jerry Maguire, Part 2… Strike that from the record and let us continue with the pilot episode of American Crime Story: the People vs. OJ Simpson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTXovOaVQqE
In the mid 1990’s, America and the world were treated to a piece of pop history unfolding before their very eyes, like a Fruit Roll Up, leaving the same waxy film on the roof of our mouths. On April 29, 1992, there was a riot on the streets, tell me where were you? I was sitting at home, watching TV, while Bradley Knowles was participating in some anarchy. The streets of Los Angeles were burning in racially-fueled aggression between the police and many of the cities residents, the likes of which wouldn’t be seen again until the Lakers three-peat.
Fast forward a few years, with racial tensions still as high as Timothy Leary, an extremely high profile murder case captivates the public conscience. The prequel to Keeping up with the Kardashians hits the airwaves with athlete-turned-actor O.J. Simpson in the starring role. Somebody call Enrico Pollazo…
The story begins as the ex-wife of our hero, and her lover, are brutally murdered, leaving ol’ Lucy-Juicy as the prime suspect. For supporting roles, there are no shortage of lawyers, some of whom are simply there for comic relief, along with Iron Chef Chairman Lance Ito presiding. Throw in a sprinkling of rejects from Mos Eisley, set the plot in LA and now we’ve got Hollywood gold!
As for the pilot itself, the pacing began slower than the white Ford Bronco chase, though accelerated rather nicely as the plot developed. One slight criticism would be on the over-descriptive Dragnet style at the beginning of the episode, though it could be justified for audiences who weren’t familiar with some of the juicier details. Like how Kato Kaelin (Bridge of Spies‘ Billy Magnussen) must have had some really dynamite weed. And speaking of Kato Kaelin, how come they could get Kato Kaelin to play Kato Kaelin? Or at least Jeff Spicoli. Though, now that I think about it, both probably have some other legal issues… But I digress.
The casting of American Crime Story is, by far, the most accurate of any scripted docudrama I’ve seen since Fahrenheit 9/11. The honest performances of the cast lends a nice credibility to the program, which could have easily derailed into comedic territory. At the helm, at least in the humble opinion of your righteous Reverend, steering all others along the right path is Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story–all of ’em). Her portrayal of DA Marcia Clark is spot on, though the hair and makeup department deserve some credit for making her look identical to the walking bitch-sicle. Cast in the titular role is Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jerry Maguire), who is fantastic reprising his Oscar-winning character, Rod Tidwell.
Also atop the list of major celebrities appearing is John Travolta, who is a phenomenal douchebag. He also plays Robert Shapiro. And what can be said about Courtney B. Vance (Terminator: Genisys) as Johnny Cochran? He’s like the Lando Calrissian of law! Returning to the small screen with an accurate and unlikely performance is Friends alumn David Schwimmer. He portrays the Sith lord Robert Kardashian, who apparently can still control the force as shown in the attempted suicide scene. Bruce Greenwood makes his debut as Gil Garcetti while an appearance by Nathan Lane (The Lion King) as F. Lee Bailey will wait until episode two. Rounding out the notable names are Connie Britton, Selma Blair and Howling Commando Kenneth “Jim Morita” Choi, each of whom portray their character namesakes with uncanny validity.
All in all, ACS is a surprisingly entertaining trip down Bundy Drive, thanks to talented actors. Hopefully, as the series progresses, the writing and pacing will tighten up enough to make this reboot as exciting as the first time it happened. And who knows? Maybe this time the ending will be different…
