Very well executed

An absolute waste of money

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

I remember the massive hype for 2012's Lincoln, priming audiences and voters to give Daniel Day-Lewis another Oscar. The powers that be touted his performance, claiming no one had ever played Abraham Lincoln the way he had, and he was being realistic in his performance, speaking in a thin, rather high-pitched voice as Lincoln really did. They said watching the film was like seeing Lincoln peeled from a painting and come to life. Well, "they" clearly missed the television adaptation of Gore Vidal's bestselling Lincoln, starring Sam Waterston as the nation's most beloved president. In 2012, Daniel Day-Lewis just put on a beard. In 1988, Abraham Lincoln truly came to life.I already love Sam Waterston and find him an incredibly talented actor, but if there's anyone out there who hasn't seen his movies, watching Lincoln will make you a life-long fan. His posture, mannerisms, walk, accent, and facial expressions are not his usual; it's clear from the first scene Sam studied everything about the president to make his performance as authentic as possible. While Hal Holbrook wins the look-a-like contest in his beloved Lincoln portrayals in North and South and the 1970s miniseries Lincoln, Sam emits an aura that makes you forget about Hal for a while. When you're watching Sam, you believe he was raised in a log cabin. You believe he's Honest Abe.In addition to the historically accurate tidbits included in Ernest Kinoy's script, the production values of the film are wonderful. It doesn't feel at all like a 1980s TV movie. The costumes are beautiful, the production and art directions are extremely realistic, and the choice of using muted and dusty colors makes all the difference in the world. Usually, British movies have the market cornered on authentic lighting, but Joe Clayton, chief lighting technician for the film, did a fantastic job giving audiences a view of how things really looked during the Civil War.Co-starring Mary Tyler Moore as the tragic figure Mary Todd Lincoln, Richard Mulligan as Secretary Seward, Steven Culp as Lincoln's secretary, Ruby Dee as Mary's dressmaker, David Leary as General McClellan, and John McMartin as Senator Chase, this three-hour tribute to Lincoln's presidency is extremely entertaining. Lamont Johnson won an Emmy for his direction, and Mary and Ruby were nominated for their performances, as were the hairstylist, art directors, costume designers, and film as a whole. Sam's performance was ignored, and when you watch the movie, you'll be as stumped as I am. Pair it with Ken Burns's The Civil War for a reprise of Sam Waterston's role, or with A House Divided to see Sam in another Civil War drama, but playing a villain!

Sam does a great job as Lincoln and I have to say I now picture this as being as Lincoln was.... Smart, witty and very quick and as he is portrayed in this film. I personally think this is Sam's finest work. The historical accuracy was well covered considering how much is lost with other shows and movies. Mary Tyler Moore did a great job and I think the film does the book justice which isn't always the case. I watch this at least once a year and I have to say it never fails to make me tear up a bit and make me feel glad to be an American. If you enjoy this period of our history I think you will enjoy it very much. There were important facts that were mentioned that are never in other movies or I think that most Americans don't even know. For example the fact that he had several losses close to him during his presidency. Covering many of the capricious fantasies Mary Todd had and much of the inner pain he endured while working through our countries issues. They cover much of his personality traits which are mostly ignored in similar movies. This is a great movie in this regard.

Mary Tyler Moore gives the best portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln I have ever seen on screen.Sam Waterson gives a very different portrayal of President Lincoln than we are used to. Generally, when we think of Lincoln we think of a man with a deep voice due to the fact that he was a very tall man and was well built. However Lincoln in fact did not have a deep voice according to some reports that I have read, in fact he had a high pitched voice and he had that Kentucky accent. (Kentucky? The Hell you say, Lincoln was from Illinois, yes this is true, however Lincoln was born in Kentucky, he was raised mostly in Illinois though)This film gives us a good look at Lincoln the man, at the True Abraham Lincoln. Yes this film only spends a small amount of time on the assassination and spends none on the conspirators at all.If you want to see a very good portrayal of the Lincoln assassination that is very in depth, try watching "The Day Lincoln was Shot" which was a television movie made for TNT. In fact the "Day Lincoln was shot" is a nice accompanying piece to this movie. If you ever get the opportunity to watch either one of these films take it you won't regret it.

I have watched this movie many times, as I use it to teach US history to eighth graders. It is an excellent portrait of Lincoln, showing his complexity and compassion. Yes, VerhoHo from NYC, NY, the book is better, but a movie that exactly mirrored the book would last for weeks. I think the movie does a fine job of summarizing Gore Vidal's comprehensive and historically accurate account of Lincoln's years as president. After seeing the movie the first time, when it aired on TV, I wanted to read the book and did.Sam Waterson and Mary Tyler Moore are fabulous in their roles and bring these historical figures to life. I was also surprised to see Thomas Gibson (first from "Chicago Hope," then "Dharma and Greg") portraying Gov. Sprague. His accent and costume really disguised his identity.I also like the way the director muted colors and added to the melancholy of the era.