Bonnie Raskin Movies

Originally titled America's Son, this cable-TV biopic of John F. Kennedy Jr. begins at the end, with the plane crash of July 19, 1999, that took the lives of Kennedy, his wife Caroline, and his sister-in-law. From this tragic vantage point, the film segues into flashbacks detailing the very public life of J.F.K. Sr.'s only son, of whom it was once said, "The world knew his name before he did." Based on The Day John Died, a book by George Andersen, the film intimates that "John-John" would have been happy charting his own course in life, but was instead channelled into following in the Kennedy tradition by his iron-willed mother Jacqueline (played by Jacqueline Bisset, who'd previously essayed an à clef version of Jackie O. in the theatrical feature The Greek Tycoon). Thus, John enters law school, where he is twice humiliated by failing to pass the bar exam. Finally, as editor of the high-profile George magazine, John can stand on his own merits and not as an adjunct of the Kennedy mystique. Naturally, the film devotes time aplenty to J.F.K. Jr.'s well-publicized romances, notably his lengthy association with actress Daryl Hannah (here played by Tara Chocol) and his ultimate marriage to Caroline Bessette (Portia de Rossi). Somewhat undercutting the credibility of the restaged scenes is the producers' utilization of interviews with the actual friends and associates of John Jr. -- not to mention film clips of the "real" Kennedy, employed as bridges between scenes. America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story debuted January 12, 2003, on TBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While on a vacation in the Pacific Northwest, widower Nick Conway (Kyle McLachlan) and his son Dennis (Joseph Cross) are involved in a car accident. Dennis is rushed to the hospital in a strange, remote village called Springdale, where all the residents seem unusually youthful and attractive. As he slowly falls in love with the nurse caring for Dennis, Nick comes to the realization that the town harbors a secret fountain of youth--and that there is ultimately a terrible price to pay for being eternally young. Based on a novel by Clifford Irving, The Spring aired January 16, 2000 on NBC, reportedly as the pilot for a never-produced weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This adaptation of the classic Shakespearean tale of an exiled ruler who happens to be a very powerful magician is set in a pre-Civil War Mississippi bayou, with the main characters as powerful slaveowners instead of heads-of-state. ~ All Movie Guide

Some critics pigeonholed the made-for-TV melodrama Friends 'Til the End as a junior version of such theatrical features as All About Eve and Single White Female. A plain-looking, delusional college girl who calls herself Zanne Armstrong (Jennifer Blanc) goes to great lengths to befriend beautiful, popular coed Heather Romley (Shannen Doherty). Heather graciously allows the girl to enter her circle of friends, little suspecting that Zanne obsessed with "becoming" Heather, literally taking over her life and personality. The scheme is set in motion when Zanne joins Heather's campus band Dead Pink, and reaches a peak of sorts when the deranged girl manages to bed Heather's boyfriend--but the worst is still to come. Friends 'Til the End premiered January 20, 1997 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forced into drug rehab by her mother Joanna (Patti LuPone), rebellious teenager Alex Saxen (Kellie Martin) shows few signs of being cured upon her release, and quickly goes back to her wild and uninhibited lifestyle. Thus, when Alex's boyfriend turns up murdered after a party, the police tag her as the most likely suspect. But despite Alex's sordid history with booze and pills and her uncontrollable behavior, her counselor Leslie (Jenna Elfman) is unconvinced of the girl's guilt. Reuniting Life Goes On stars Kellie Martin and Patti LuPone, the made-for-TV Her Last Chance initially aired April 8, 1996 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide