User reviews

Watching the first episode, it didn't feel like the first one it was like I was missing an episode. I don't understand where and when they became obsessed with each other they just seemed miserable, it was an average meet up with not much chemistry then all of a sudden he's pining over her and they are back and forth over and over, but why ? I'm still halfway through the series but does it get better? Was hoping for a better series to be honest especially with the actors involved. It doesn't feel like years are passing by either, both of them look no different during the time jumps lol should be better.

I enjoyed this tremendously. Riseborough and Gleeson are such breathtakingly wonderful actors. I felt privileged to have these couple of hours with them.

After watching the full season, I read some reviews of the show. Sadly, some were less than positive, but I couldn't help think they missed the point and the beauty of this story. I suppose if you're of the mind that sentimentality is to be reviled, you may agree with reviewers of that ilk and this production won't be for you. Indeed, this series is overtly sentimental, and at times quite melancholy. But for me at least, I felt the real message was one of hope. In a world that's become so fragile, and often seemingly broken, every once in a blue moon, there's a thing or two that can miraculously rise and remain unbroken. In these tumultuous times, I felt that a message worth hearing.

Alice & Jack isn't really a study in two characters. The main character here is the love between them, a love that likely should have dissolved time and again, and yet try as they might, will never go away. Again, a big standing "O" for Riseborough and Gleeson. They've done a wonderful job here.

I get the distinct impression that this show is a love it or hate it show. For me personally I loved it. It's gentle in its approach to 2 very different characters the name sakes of the show.

Jack a gentle Irishman and Alice a self proclaimed hard nose damaged goods lady.

My wife felt they never connected and didn't suit but their differences is what endeared me to them and to the show. Both have lives that seem destined to connect but fought against at every turn.

Periphery characters are also loveable from the best friend and fellow scientist with a blunt matter of factness that's comical but fitting. To Aisling Bea who your heart can only go out to.

All in all this isn't your typically love story but if you want something different and you'll overlook the negative reviews then I think this has got much to offer.

It's no One Day and thank goodness for that. Maybe it's a love story for those who don't relish in love stories. It's certainly no hallmark tale.

Enjoy.

When someone tells you they are broken, believe them and run. This girl has too many bizarre issues. She is drastically hurtful to Jack who simply doesn't deserve any of it. Time passes but they don't change at all. He is a glutton for punishment. I don't consider this a love story. It's more a tale of the damage two people can do to each other. I found some of it absolutely difficult to watch - it's painful for the viewer. I liked the actress and actor but not their characters. I wanted to reach through the screen and give Jack a good shaking to loosen the cobwebs in his brain. What was he ever thinking? How can you be so overwhelmed with someone after one night no matter how good it was - even after she kicks you out and says not to call. Seriously, Jack get a grip. This is simply not a real life story but a complete story of human suffering.

I just dont like romantic comedies at all! But this is so much more. The romance is enduring but utterly unorthodox. The comedy is dry and sardonic. Tragedy is the other player which provides the fuel for this wonderful study of love. "love" oozes out of Jack and manifests itself in a so many ways....not just his feelings for Alice.....these facets are worthy of fuller discussion. Credit to the screenwriting and the subtle direction for maintaining a pace which supports the narrative fully. Alice is unconventional in her dealing/management of love....understatement....by the fascination is why? Other characters are "real" and bring value and nuance to the evolving relationship story. Yes the eponymous protaganists can be irritating and even dislikeable....well Alice anyway...but these are realistic characters, real people....not romcom cliches. Bravo!

I watched the first 3 episodes - I could not believe this was meant to be a real relationship. I was giving off about their two characters " shes an awful character- the worst person , no excuses for her actions even with her personal background. He is a idiot whos getting walked over time & time again" I went on imbd to read reviews that agreed with me.

I didn't feel great after watching these but i also wanted to keep at it.

Then it clicked, i clicked. By the last few episodes I understood her, I understood him. This was full of simple real moments in a relationship. I sobbed sore.

Beautiful.

Odd that this got poor to average ratings, and this series has made me question my faith in reviews. The 5 main cast members gave really great performances, and it was a story about true love, what's not to like? Perhaps it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it's not without fault, but I would advise you to give it a chance as I was swept away by it. It's the best thing I've seen all year. Obviously the two leads were great, but a special mention for Aisling Bea who really is a very good actor. Surely it's only a matter of time before she gets the lead she deserves. I want a friend like Sunil Patel btw. There is a lot of crap available to stream, it's not hard to find, but what is hard to find is a series that really draws you in, and keeps you thinking about it long after it's ended.

This series is a diminished example of what PBS generally offers. In the first episode, the plot seemed quite appealing. It all comes crashing down in about ep 3, when redundant scenes of the troubled romance rear their ugly head. In real life, some relationships go through testing phases, particularly if one partner is sorting through past trauma. This is understandable. But to include repetitive emotional scenarios will wear out certain viewers. Subsequently, the overall rhythm suffered. The two lead actors were sincere, but I was not feeling their chemistry. Several of their scenes resembled acting class exercises. As the series evolved, each interaction between the couple became far too precious. I'm fairly new to the work of actress Andrea Riseborough, and there were moments when I found her believable. But many times the camera lingered on her face (not her fault), and that's when we witness her ever-revolving Parade of Expressions: contorted forehead, furrowed brow, dismayed eyes, and unsubtle mouth movements. I should add that I was impressed by her fine work in "To Leslie"; her pliable face seemed fitting for that character. In Alice & Jack there is one unintentionally funny moment when she offers a reassuring kiss to her lover, yet her face is so poignantly troubled. Fast forward to the final episode: it came off as a predictable mess. I was thinking "hopefully the writers won't adopt such a convenient ending", but in fact they did just that. The final scenes were deflating and ruinous. I'm shocked that PBS gave this series a green-light. Likewise, I'm bothered that I chose to endure the entire series.

There are some television dramas that are simply bad: the plotting is implausable, the dialogue clunky, the acting wooden. 'Alice and Jack' doesn't have these problems; but in spite of this, it isn't very good. One problem it faces is a standard challenge for writers of romantic dramas: the viewer is expected to know that the central characters would be good together rather better than the characters themselves, as the drama lies in us watching them overcome the obstacles in their way. The obstacles faced by Jack in this drama are very simple: the Alice we meet is a selfish lunatic, the consequence of some deep family trauma. This makes it hard for the viewer not to simply wish that Jack will run a mile, so the story compensates by making Alice a genius. For example, when she decides to make amends, she simply lets him share in her ultimately successful plan to make millions speculating on oil futures. The whole framing is rather odd, as if her extraordinary qualities somehow excuse her obnoxiousness. The drama's other problem is something it actually does quite well, but does too much of. Most of us have some experience of falling in love, and of that sensation where everything in life seems heightened, in beauty as well as pain. Much of 'Alice and Jack' occurs in a gorgeous, almost hyper-real portrayal of the world; and in small doses, this would be fine, capturing how things might feel to its protagonists as key moments. The problem is that "much of" is a big understatement. Alice and Jack's entire world seems to consist of falling in (and out) of love with each other. This is not a story where mutual affection has to be squeezed in around the mundance realities of life; Alice's financial aptitude ensures there are no arguments about who's going to pay the rent this month, while all sympathetic figures in the story are good looking, and when tragedy strikes in the end, the central characters are both given those mysteriously beautiful and dignified deaths that sadly few people get off the television screen. I know some people have said they would have liked for Alice and Jack's best friends to be better developed, but personally I don't think much promise was missed there: they basically function as emotional support animals, dedicating their lives to the welfare of their fundamantally superior friends.

In summary, you could take a selection of scenes from this and make what looked like a trailer for the greatest love story ever told; but in fact, what we get in full is less of a story and more of a trailer spun out over six parts, all affect and no actual realism. The leading actors do their best with the material, but can't altogether save it.

So beautiful. Very authentic. It touches upon deep existential subjects, and if your criterion is character development, you'll find it here. A decent guy encounters a woman everyone would caution him against. Each time he gives in to her, everything in me screamed, don't! I have met a few Alices in my life and have ended the relationship with all of them. Maybe I shouldn't, was the thought I often had during this series. The pace is slow and most of the time it's only about these two people. Alice and Jack's acting is so convincing that one might think they actually exist in the real world. I was deeply immersed every minute of the series.

I felt compelled to write this review to counter some of the other reviews which I suspect were written by people with vested interests.

One review felt blessed to be in gleeson and riseborough's presence for a few hours..... I don't think so, the acting is clunky and insincere, the story is wooden and daft, and these people talk about relationships as if they understand them completely having watched other people have them. I've never met people like this in real life which is probably because there aren't people like this in real life.

There is an element of the Before sunrise/sunset films about it, but those romances have more sincerity and a genuine flow to them. This story consistently jumps forward in a way that implies that vast chunks of these people's lives are meaningless. The way characters are described within the programme are completely at odds with how they come across. Even leaving a bad review is giving this series more attention than it deserves.

I really enjoyed this, needed to watch this alone and immerse myself in this unconventional love story. I found I went through many emotions towards the characters, she was harsh and cold and he was sweet and almost innocent like, I didn't want to like her but I ended up completely invested in their story, I became almost obsessed with watching it, needing to know more and willing them to be happy (together). Fantastic acting, I've read reviews of critics and felt the story was misunderstood by them, its deep, complex and messy but undeniably intriguing. Left me in tears. Life isn't a rom com and this felt real.

Loved the concept. Some parts were beautifully executed but others not so much. Sadly a missing part was why does he love her so much? It is obvious why she loves him, he is everything she had missing in her life growing up but for him, I really don't understand why the almost obsession with her.

Looking over that, you could feel the intense connection between the characters. The pull they had on each other, even though I wished the writers would have come with some better circumstances for them to keep meeting through their lives. Some of them were over the top, others were really nice.

I do not like the end honestly, too over the top. If you are a romantic, watch it, you'll still like it.

The intensity is palpable but lacked a better storyline as a structure in some parts.

I guess you either engage with this story and these characters/actors or you don't. I absolutely did and was utterly enthralled by what felt like a really original exploration of a relationship over many years. Perhaps people are so tuned to expect the glib in love stories they can't connect to something different.

These characters (and these actors) are anything but the normal "fodder" for pat RomCom stories which I consider a complete bonus. And this, I'm more than delighted to report, is no pat RomCom. Its quirky and spiky, snarky, silly with a bruising emotional layer that utterly reflects real life. By the time I got into the series by a couple of episodes, the relationship is far more rich and interesting than I ever expected.

The characters are flawed, weird, sometimes completely unlikable or difficult (you know, like life!) and I was there for every second of it hoping it would never end.

These actors are stunning and it felt like it was written just for them. Their chemistry is unassailable, the dialogue intelligent and natural, yet exquisitely filled by both the writers and the actors. This series is a true gem.

Was not enamored with the first episode, and did not think at first it was worth watching, but returned (eventually) and became engaged more and more the with relationship of the main characters, as they became increasingly developed, and (maybe more so) their story, to the extent that I found myself anticipating the next episodes. In retrospect.

I think perhaps it was the interplay of the supporting characters, as well as the intertwined story lines which made the difference.

No spoilers from me, but a question: Was the lead character's name a nod to the Boyce and Hart song, or merely a coincidence ?