Dolores Claiborne


2.5/4

Starring: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Judy Parfitt, David Strathairn

Rated R for Language and Domestic Abuse

Alcoholism and domestic violence, painful as they are, will never cease to compel because they have a deep relevance for everyone.  Whether it’s through first-hand or tangential means, we all know about alcoholism and spousal abuse (in many cases, the two go hand in hand).  In his film based on the book by Stephen King, director Taylor Hackford uses a mystery story as a means to examine both of these issues.

Selena (Leigh) is a reporter for the New York Times who returns to her small hometown after her mother, Dolores (Bates) has been arrested for the murder of her employer (Parfitt).   The two have been estranged for years, and this reunion is going to open some old wounds that Selena would much rather have been left alone.

With a cast like this, it goes without saying that the acting is strong.  Kathy Bates is very good as mother on trial.  The question is not just whether she killed Vera Donovan, the cruel woman whose house Dolores kept, but also if she was responsible for the death of her husband, Joe (Strathairn).  And if she was behind one or two of the deaths, was it out of cold blood, or did she have her reasons?  Dolores isn’t exactly a likable person; she speaks her mind when she really shouldn’t, and she resists all attempts to help in her own defense.  

As Selena, Jennifer Jason Leigh is a surprise (at least to me).  I have seen her in other roles, but she will be forever burned into my mind as the psychotic roommate in “Single White Female.”  But Leigh is such a good actress that it took me less than a second to see Selena St. George instead of Hedy Carlson.  Selena is resentful towards her mother, and she’s only back in town due to a sense of obligation rather than a genuine care for her mother’s well-being.  Judy Parfitt is good as the nightmarish employer, but who may not be as much of a bitch as she seems, and Christopher Plummer is perfectly slimy as the detective who seems to have it in for Dolores.

The problem with the film is that it’s way too long.  This is a 100 minute movie stretched out to over two hours, and there are times when the film drags way too much.  Once it finds its groove during the second hour, things get pretty interesting, but before that point, it’s pretty slow going.  The climax doesn’t work either.  It’s contrived and not particularly believable.

Watching this movie, I couldn’t help thinking of “Once Were Warriors,” a New Zealand film that dealt with the same issues in a much more compelling way.  That film was a brutal hit to the gut that will leave anyone reeling.  Although there are some qualities about “Dolores Claiborne” that bear mentioning, it doesn’t even come close to matching the impact of “Once Were Warriors” or any competently made mystery.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more