User reviews

Somehow this gripping, brilliantly-acted thriller was overlooked and underrated when it was first released in 1995, but it's probably the best movie ever made from a Stephen King story.

Kathy Bates has never been better. Her acting is so strong, deep, and subtle, it's outrageous that she wasn't even nominated for the Academy Award. I think it's because the film was released early in the year and was out of theatres already when the nominations were made. She's better here than about ten Oscar-winning actors I can think of, put together -- a one-woman textbook of how to act for the screen.

Bates won an Oscar for MISERY, but she's better here, because the story and the character are more interesting, complex and challenging. With flawless technique, and great depth of feeling, she delivers one of the finest screen performances of the 1990s.

Okay, the denouement's a bit strained, and there's a sprinkling of stilted, hokey lines (Stephen King was never good at writing believable dialogue, and his addition of forced scatology and cussing doesn't make it any less stilted.) But overall the complicated story, which flashes back and forth over a period of twenty years, is extremely well-told. The constant shifting from past to present is never confusing -- an achievement in itself!

This film never found its audience, somehow, and even some critics missed how good it was. I notice Maltin's book now raves over the film, giving it 3 1/2 stars, the same rating he gives to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The violence here is more psychological than bloody, but DOLORES is every bit as good a thriller as LAMBS, and Bates, quite frankly, can act circles around Jodie Foster.

When I picked up the DVD of Dolores Claiborne, I wasn't sure of what to expect. I remembered that a lot of people were complaining that this wasn't Misery, starring Kathy Bates, who stars here, and the pacing was a bit off. However, when I was watching it, I was fully gripped into it's very gripping storyline of "Did she or didn't she?" and Kathy Bates pulls off another stunning performance (she never dissapoints me). All the other actresses, from Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, to a then unknown John C. Reilly, also put out great performances. The direction of Taylor Hackford is top notch, and probably the biggest thing here is the cinematogrpahy, which is stunning with all the period photography (dull and grey at present, colorful in the past) and the eclipse photography is nothing short of stunning. A very surprising and entertaining watch,

Dolores Claiborne is directed by Taylor Hackford and adapted to screenplay by Tony Gilroy from the novel of the same name written by Stephen King. It stars Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Strathairn, John C. Riley, Christopher Plummer and Judy Parfitt. Music is scored by Danny Elfman and cinematography by Gabriel Beristain.

Plot sees Leigh as Selena St. George, a big-city reporter who travels to her home town island in Maine when her mother is accused of murdering the elderly woman that she was caring for. Her estranged mother, Dolores (Bates), is also widely suspected to have killed her husband and Selena's father some 20 years earlier, even though that was ruled as an accident. As mother and daughter come together, secrets of the past merge with the harshness of the present.

A terrifically well acted and well mounted drama doing justice to a great book, Dolores Claiborne thrusts family trauma to the front of an on going murder investigation. King adaptations are well known for being very hit and miss, but this is certainly one of the better ones, it sees a shift from standard horror monsters, to monsters of a different kind, the human ones. Played out to a perpetually dank backdrop of rain, grey skies and a sea devoid of beauty, film unfolds to reveal the sadness of one family's roots, where emotional discord hangs heavy, constantly.

The structure is well handled by Hackford, as present day scenes merge into those from the past, giving off a perfectly ghost like feel to the plotting. Plummer's weary detective John Mackey is a bit too underwritten for my liking, and the time afforded the pre-trial debate and inquest is simply not enough to make the required impact once all the revelations come tumbling forward - the latter of which is nearly unforgivable given the film runs at over two hours. However, slight irks aside, this is still great stuff and if only for the trio of lead lady performances then this is a must see for the drama seeking film fan whom wants some intelligent emotional heft in the screenplay. 8/10

And the last horse crosses the finishing line! It's actually taken me until now to watch Dolores Claiborne but better late than never.

This is the very final Stephen King adaptation for me and that saddens me as I tend to very much enjoy them.

Starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh and the excellent Christopher Plummer this thriller blew me away to an extent I simply didn't expect.

Set in New England (As all Stephen King tales tend to be) it tells the story of a woman arrested for the murder of the woman she worked for. Her arrest has lured her estranged daughter back home all the way from New York and results in family secrets being dragged kicking and screaming into the light

Alike most King works the movie heavily relies on flashbacks and it works wonders here. Over the course of over two hours the truth is gradually chipped away at until the highly impressive finale and series of twists.

Kathy Bates & Christopher Plummer are on form as always and take this already masterful tale and truly make the characters their own.

Also starring John C Reilly who would go onto do mostly comedy this is a near perfectly crafted little tale that begs the simple question "Why don't they make movies like this anymore?"

Essential viewing.

The Good:

Cast knock it out of the park

Beautifully written

Very well directed

Stunning location

The Bad:

Nothing springs to mind

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Stephen King needs to write more books so they can adapt them into more movies before I start getting withdrawal symptoms

Few Stephen King works of fiction translate well to the screen. Horror elements are best left described rather than shown - so that the darkest recesses of our own imaginations can fill in the details. The horror visions of others may or may not affect us the same way - more often than not, they fall short of true terror.

But DOLORES CLAIBORNE is the exception - a masterful condensation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. More compact and deeply psychological than the novel, the film focuses almost exclusively on telling the story (in both present-day AND multiple flashback story lines) of Dolores Claiborne and her daughter, Selena.

Charged with murdering her wealthy but crippled employer, Dolores (Kathy Bates) is reunited with her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason-Leigh). Sullen, brilliant, but deeply disturbed by a past that still obviously haunts her, Selena returns to the lonely and isolated Maine fishing village to help her mother face the legal and familial issues raised by the murder accusation.

We learn that Dolores had previously been suspected of killing her abusive and alcoholic husband. The same detective who had been unable to press the case 17 years earlier is now assigned to the new investigation. And as his work proceeds, secrets from the past reveal themselves, through brilliant use of flashbacks.

The acting by all concerned is first rate, with Bates giving probably her finest non-Oscar-nominated performance. Jason-Leigh is spot-on as the psychologically damaged and cynical Selena - more a victim than even she knows. Christopher Plummer is excellent as the detective.

Taylor Hackford's direction is absolutely brilliant - as is the use of color saturation and creative scene blending and transition to move seamlessly between present and past.

This is an outstanding film - well worth the Oscar nominations it received (as well as those it did not!). HIghest rating!

I fell in love with this movie and that is a feeling I still have today. I especially love the blue tint that they put in the film....it encapsulates the cold and barren feeling of the house and the previous events. I give this movie a ten because the acting is amazing, the scenery is beautiful and the transition between the past and the present is seamless. My two favorite actresses in the movie are Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kathy Bates. They did an amazing job of portraying a estranged mother and daughter too haunted by past events to once again come together. The movie is a must see for everyone and it helps greatly to read the book before seeing the movie. I believe this movie should have received more than one award.

I first saw "Dolores Claiborne" when it came out in 1995 and have seen it again some 3 or 4 times since, a practice I dedicate only to "certified" masterpieces. At first, I couldn't figure out why I kept revisiting "D.C." when it showed up on cable - it's not a cinematic wonder or a work of art (something it doesn't strive to be, by the way), not even a story that you can say it's really original. But as I became more familiar with the film, I could see why it always pulled me in: it's a triumph of story-telling, of the WAY and PACE the story is revealed in small precise doses much like slowly completing a puzzle, the kind of film you can only let go when the last missing piece (Selena's final flashback) fits into place.

How the story manages to make such initially repulsive characters (all of them!!) develop into sympathetic (or at least pathetic) ones is of course Stephen King's special talent, expertly translated by the fine jobs by the screenwriter, actors and director of "Dolores Claiborne". The cinematography is kind of obvious in its distinct color treatment of past and present, but the entire cast is inspired, including Kathy Bates' best-ever performance (she has stated so herself), especially in the flash-back scenes; delightfully virtuoso Judy Parfitt (you just keep hoping along for more Vera's scenes, and each one of them is a knockout); and reliable pros Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn (such an underrated actor!) and John C. Reilly. Even Jennifer Jason Leigh for once has her irritating mannerisms fit perfectly to build her terribly tormented character.

That's what good story-telling is all about: even if you already know the plot from A to Z, you just want to see once again the way it unfolds, like a good scary fairy tale. "Dolores Claiborne" is not without faults, but it's certainly worth your time, and even more than once.

This film has it all: brilliant script, superb direction, great acting. It's a revenge melodrama, a dysfunctional family drama, a mystery/thriller, and a feminist take on the 'woman's picture', all rolled into one. Sixty years ago, Bette Davis would have had a field day with the title role, but back then Hollywood would never have had the nerve to make a picture with so radical a socio-political point of view. Hackford virtually re-invents the use of flashbacks, and the eclipse sequence is a classic. This film was pretty much ignored by critics when it was released, but it will be around long after most of 1995's films have passed into oblivion.

It isn't quite fair to say that 'Dolores Claiborne' is a one-woman show, but let's face it; it's pretty much a virtuoso performance from Kathy Bates. She dominates virtually every scene she's in, shows tremendous range, from tender to sour and bitter, to borderline maniacal, and leaves you wondering who else on Earth could possibly have pulled it off.

That's not to belittle the rest of the cast. The other actors are adequate at very least, and Judy Parfitt puts in a performance as the bedridden Vera Donovan, which is the one time that Bates is slightly overshadowed.

Briefly, a middle-aged, working-class widow (Bates) in a small Maine town (where else, for SK?) is suspected of murdering her rich, elderly employer (Parfitt) in an apparently open and shut case. Christopher Plummer is the nasty lawman who is convinced she also killed her husband years before. Meanwhile, her estranged daughter from New York comes up to cover the story for a newspaper, and... well, you don't really need to know any more details before seeing the movie.

It's adapted from a Stephen King novel, and being a drama rather than a supernatural story, it has a flying headstart, being in the company of 'Green Mile', 'Stand By Me', and 'Shawshank Redemption' rather than 'Christine' or 'Salem's Lot'. Whereas it isn't in the exalted league of those movies, it's miles ahead of most of the horror adaptation of King stories. Take Bates out and it might be rather ordinary, but as it it, Dolores gets a very solid 7.0 from me.

If there is one thing I always fear, than it must be movies about bad marriages, an abusive husband, child abuse ... How often do you get a good movie with such subjects. Not very often, because most of the time these are awful TV-movies that seem to be written at a rate of at least one an hour. Always following the same concept, always trying to make the poor viewer cry his eyes out while saying that that poor woman / child didn't deserve to be treated that bad. Now don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not saying that it should be tolerated. Men who do such awful things can't be punished hard enough, but the movies that are made about this subjects are complete crap most of the time.

"Dolores Claiborne" tells the story of a woman who is accused of murdering the wealthy woman she worked for as a maid in Maine. When her daughter Selena finds out that her mother is accused of this crime, she immediately returns home from New York, leaving her job as an important reporter behind for a while. But she doesn't return to support her mother as you might expect. No, she's almost certain that she did it and she seems to try to get a good story out of it. But gradually she finds out what really happened and in the meantime some awful things about Selena's troubled childhood, the awful family life,... come floating at the surface again.

I know that I said in the beginning of this review that most movies with such a subject are plain crap, but there are always expectations to every rule and "Dolores Claiborne" certainly is one of those exceptions. It was written by Stephen King and it shows. The man knows how to build up suspense and certainly can give you an uneasy feeling while reading his books or watching one of 'his' movies. And "Dolores Claiborne" has a lot more depth than you might expect at first. The only thing is that they have managed to disguise it, not giving away too much information at a time. Only at the end of the movie you'll fully understand what has happened and what the reason was for both women to react the way they did.

What I also liked, next to the story, was the way everything is shot. All the scenes in the present are shot in those cool blue tones, but these blend seamlessly into the flashbacks that were shot in vivid colors. This gives an extra touch to the story that certainly works. You know exactly what is the present and what is the past, but those colors also add a lot to the drama.

But the way a movie was shot alone doesn't make it good of course. That's what good actors who do some excellent things are for. And that's also exactly what you'll get from Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer... Jennifer Jason Leigh is nice as the daughter, but it's Kathy Bates and Christopher Plummer who give away the best performances in my opinion. Bates is stunning as the tormented woman who's personality seems so strong, while in reality she is a broken soul who wishes for nothing much but to die as soon as possible, so all her misery can end. And I also loved Plummer as Detective John Mackey who's hate against Dolores is so big, because she is the only spot on an almost spotless career. He has solved all his cases except for one and he'll not rest until he can send Dolores to jail.

All in all this is a very good and suspenseful movie that never tries to become a tearjerker, despite the heavy subject. It offers some great acting, nice photography and a good story. That's about all I can wish for in a movie and I give it at least a 7.5/10, maybe even an 8/10.

When "Dolores Claiborne" came out, I was about 13 or 14 years old and had just discovered the horror story adaptations of Stephen King. However, my first steps into his oeuvre were titles like "Silver Bullet", "Maximum Overdrive" and "Sleepwalkers", and since this is a totally different style and type of thriller, the teenage-me found "Dolores Claiborne" very dull. It took me another almost 30 years to realize it's one of King's best and most sophisticated adaptations.

It's a sober and integer thriller, with three incredibly strong female lead performances and a script that contains a couple of controversial but very socially relevant and courageous themes. New York reporter Selena (Leigh) returns to her hometown, a little island off the Maine coast, for the first time in 15 years because her mother (Bates) is accused of having killed her elderly and wealthy employer (Parfitt). Their relationship is diluted, since Selena always believed her mother was also responsible for the freak-accident in which her alcoholic and abusive father died. Local police inspector John Mackey also believes this, and he's dedicated to convict her for murder this time.

Many of the numerous flashback sequences are unnecessary and overwrought, but they do help director Taylor Hackford with the building up of a tense and foreboding atmosphere throughout. The performances by Bates and Parfitt also make "Dolores Claiborne" somewhat reminiscent to an "hagsploitation" movie; - a horror subgenre we haven't seen since the sixties (with classics like "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", "The Nanny", "What's the matter with Helen"). Because of this, the script contains a few wonderful quotes like: "it is a depressively masculine world we live in, Dolores", or: "Sometimes, being a (insert popular synonym for strong and confident woman here), is all a woman has to hang onto."

Finally, the filming locations are absolutely stupendous! Contrary to what the plot states, we're not in Maine but on the breath-taking Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which must be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

No Oscar nominations for this amazing cast? So the Academy thought there were 5 better performances than Kathy Bates's here. I'd love to know who they were. I also feel if Judy Parfitt had been American she would have been nominated.

On an island in Maine, housekeeper Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) is detained after her employer Vera Donovan falls to her death. The mailman stops Dolores before she smashes Vera's head in with a rolling pin. In NYC, Dolores' journalist daughter Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh) receives a mysterious fax with a news report about the incident. She returns to her hometown to help her mother. Dolores' abusive drunken husband Joe St. George (David Strathairn) is revealed in flashbacks.

Kathy Bates is great once again in another adaptation of a Stephen King psychological thriller. There is nothing supernatural except for Bates' acting abilities. If there is a problem, it's a bit too long with so few thrilling moments. The reveals are terrific. Strathairn is a great villain. It would be better if the movie is tighter.

In 1990 Kathy Bates won the Best Actress Oscar for her contemptible role as Annie Wilkes in the Stephen King book adaptation, Misery. In 1995 she did another film based off of King's work,Dolores Claiborne. Kathy Bates stars in the titular role as a woman who's appearance is quite fallacious. In a way the audience's perspective of Claiborne changes over the course of the film along with her daughter's. From the opening its seems clear that Claiborne is a cold hearted killer who murdered before and has now murdered again. This also the way her daughter,Selena,views her. But as the plot progresses and unknown details are revealed especially after Dolores' final confession,Selena starts to see her mother in a different light and so does the viewer. By the end someone who once seemed to resemble a ruthless murderer now appears to be more of a victim who never wanted to kill anyone and only acted out of love. Bates' performance,along with this film in general,is quite overlooked being genuine and multifaceted. Along with Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Chritopher Plummer also excel in their roles combining all the right aspects for the character.

Having not read the book I don't know how much of the dialouge is Stephen King's or Tony Gilroy's. Either way,it is witty,trenchant and funny.

The film is a provocative,twisting tale about a woman named Dolores Claiborne.

This story is one of the best but least appreciated films based on a Stephen King story. I am not sure why it wasn't more widely acclaimed...perhaps Kathy Bates' prior performance in "Misery" overshadowed this one. All I know is that thought the story was terrific...with some nice twists.

The story is, naturally, about a woman by the same name (Bates). She lives alone in a house...and is widely thought to be a murderess following the death of her friend, an old woman. Dolores' daughter lives in the big city and when she returns home due to the sensational story, she slowly learned what really happened through flashbacks. And, naturally, what the audience and her daughter THINK happened actually didn't.

The film has terrific acting, a great story and keeps you guessing. Don't believe me, give it a try...you'll be glad you did.

Stephen King+ Kathy Bates is a winning combination. Though unlike Misery, this movie is not focusing on the horror aspect.

There is some shocking violence in this movie, but it's not the main thing. If you're looking for action look somewhere else. If you're looking for a great drama with a wonderful cast then this is your movie.

I just loved it! Stephen King is a master of story-telling as the past and present unfold in front of our eyes and we get one piece of the puzzle at the time up to the great climax at the end.

Taylor Hackford also did a great job directing this movie. There are some really cool visual effects quite similar to what Hackford did later in "Devil's Advocate" two years later.

Selena St George returns to her Maine island home to be reunited with her estranged mother Dolores. Dolores has been charged with the murder of her long time wealthy employer Vera, and all the evidence points to her guilt. Inspector Mackey leads the investigation, however his view is tainted as he failed to convict Dolores for the murder of her husband Joe, almost 20 years ago - his only unclosed case. As the present murder is investigated the truth about the past is slowly revealed.

How many Hollywood films give good roles to women. Not many - certainly not older women. This stands out because it has three good roles for women and a very strong supporting cast. The story is compelling, the present murder is slowly revealed, while the back story between Dolores, Selena, Joe and Vera is slowly spun out in memories. The various strands are all gripping - the level of detail and back story is excellent. The way the past is weaved into the present is well handled and you never feel like there's too much going on - each strand compliments the others.

The flashbacks are well filmed - each memory is painted bright with sunshine and gaudy colours. Like Selena's memory, it all seems better in hindsight. The present is filmed in pale greys, not even flesh colours come across - everyone looks ashen and grey. The director also deserves praise with the way he blends the present scenes into the past - the camera moves slightly revealing past action. At the end, every story is revealed and it's very satisfying.

As I said, the cast are excellent. If Bates got an Oscar for Misery then she more than deserved one here. She is superb in older and younger roles. She has some annoying habits, mainly the phrases she uses - but she brings out so much hurt, so many layers and so much resentment really well. Jason-Leigh is as good as always and is suitably disturbed - she is very well matched by her younger version, Ellen Muth, who matched Leigh's manner and speech well. Parfitt is an excellent Vera, she has a smaller role but deals with the changes very well. The support cast are all excellent - three stand out. Strathairn is excellent as the abusive Joe, Plummer is great as the cop, who turns out to have as many unresolved issues as Selena. The cast is rounded off by John C Reilly, who is always great.

Overall this is a well-acted compelling story. It lacks the sudden horror of Misery, but is a much more fully developed character piece.

It was so many years ago that I read Dolores Claiborne that I don't remember how closely the movie follows the book, but I've found that Stephen King movies in general are pretty faithful to the original material, and I'm sure that this one is no exception. Released at a time when a drama, even a dramatic thriller, coming from Stephen King would be known more for being a drama from the master of horror than anything else, Dolores Claiborne is still a surprisingly capable legal thriller with a remarkably intricate story.

Dolores Claiborne is an unskilled housewife living in Maine with her abusive husband and abused daughter, and things get progressively worse until she finds herself with an sexually abused daughter and a dead husband on her hands. The indictment for the murder of her husband doesn't stand in court, and years later she is again faced with the capital charge as the woman that she has been working for as a maid for so many years falls or is thrown down the stairs of her house to her death, and it's up to the town's Detective, played brilliantly by Christopher Plummer, to prove that it was not an accident. Oh no, not an accident at all. Detective Mackey (Plummer), let Dolores get away once and damned if that nonsense was going to happen again.

Unfortunately, Jennifer Jason Leigh, a genuinely gifted actor, is saddled with a part that forces her to play within the confines of a tortured soul, making her performance come off as forced and unconvincing, meanwhile Kathy Bates once again fills the screen with her powerful presence, delivering what has to be one of her best performances.

The story takes place in cold Maine weather that is so effective that it almost makes you want to put a jacket on, and in a house that is so gray and lifeless and empty that after watching the movie I had to go to the supermarket and buy a steak. That may not make sense, but here's something that does, the characters in this movie are so well rounded that it almost seems like a documentary. Definitely worth checking out, even if you're living so far in the past that you still rent from Hollywood Video and pay their late fees. Don't miss this one!

This Stephen King Sourced Story also has the "King" Co-Authoring the Script.

With the Talented Tony Gilroy...Directed-Wrote "Duplicity" (2009)..."Michael Clayton" (2007)...Screen-Play "The Bourne Series"..."Rogue One" A Star Wars Story" (2016)

Director Hackford has Done some Fine Films..."Ray" (2004)..."Devil's Advocate" (1997).

But Topping-Off All of the Collaborations are Stellar Performance Across the Board...

Lead By Kathy Bates (her personal fave and perhaps her best)

Jennifer Jason Leigh...Michael Straithran Christoper Plummer... Judy Parfitt

Outstanding Cinematography, Atmospheric Locations, and Good Score (Danny Elfman)

It's a Combination of Film-Art Coalescing to Deliver High-Powered Melodramatic Personal Cinema at its Best.

Family Drama...Chick-Flick...Slice-of-Life...

This one Transcends the Labels to Rise as one of the "Best-In-Class',

Highly Over-Looked, Unseen, Underrated, and Undeserving the Neglect.

The Film's Profundity Stays With You.

The Story Takes-On some Tuff Stuff...

Spousal Abuse...Child Sexual Abuse...Work-for-Hire Servitude...Slanted Law Enforcement...Age Related Accelerated Decrepitude

Be Prepared for a...

Must-See.

I had always heard good things about this film but I didn't watch it for the first time until 2019. Of course I've seen many of Kathy Bates performances but this particular one is outstanding. Beyond the acting; Stephen King really hit the nail on the head with this thrilling story. It's got a great blend of humor/dark humor, drama and mystery. It's a very emotional tale through and through with some chilling moments. The story is told through a traditional non-linear-Stephen King-fashion, similar to some of his other great adaptions. I did not expect the narration either and it was very well used. The cinematography in this film is incredible- something I didn't think I would find with this movie. Lastly to tie things up, the musical score is superb! I cannot wait to watch this movie again.

(Also, young John C. Reilly)

10/10!!

KATHY BATES is the title character, an aging woman from a fishing village in Maine with a dark past and a daughter (JENNIFER JASON LEIGH) with whom she shares a dark secret. It's based on a Stephen King novel that has been fleshed out with deeper characterizations, some excellent vistas of New England providing realistic atmosphere, and a satisfying conclusion to a dark tale.

Bates and Leigh (as the far away daughter Selena who returns to help her mother through tough legal problems when her mother is accused of a crime), are excellent, and all of their scenes together have a ring of truth. The supporting roles too are in the capable hands of actors like CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (as a detective who is convinced of Claiborne's guilt) and David STRATHAIRN as Joe St. George, Bates' abusive alcoholic husband.

Just as Grace Metalious' PEYTON PLACE was transferred to the screen from a rather trashy novel and improved considerably by a more tastefully written screenplay, this Stephen King story benefits from the expansion of character and development as a psychological tale of an abused wife and daughter.

KATHY BATES gives one of her most heartfelt performances as the victimized woman suspected of murder. Well worth watching and the authentic Maine atmosphere adds considerably to the flavor of a good story.

I won't bother to repeat a summary of this flick as so many others have done so already. What I will tell you is not to be foolish by not seeing this movie. This is a film you must pay attention to. Close attention. The films shifts from past to present in the blink of an eye. You don't want to miss a second.

The mere fact that this movie didn't make a clean sweep at the Academy Awards and walk with every Oscar is beyond me and probably the majority of the comments on IMDb. Stephen King's writing at its finest, the best possible dream casting, Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh gave monumental performances, I would say their career finest. But the Academy in their infinite wisdom chose to turn a blind eye to this masterpiece. Perhaps you can decide for yourself; I think this film was robbed of its true merits.

One of the best Stephen King adaptations. A good story and a great cast. Very underrated and overshadowed by Misery, this is just as good.

This film absolutely spoils the viewer for the first hour and fifty minutes. It really does screw up when it turns from a greatly constructed thriller from the mind behind the most terrifying novels that have sold million. Turns into a badly leaded, and cheaply constructed court room movie.

A girl has to go to her hometown. In small pieces of sea-bedded land, in a small community. Where her hardworking mother has been arrested for killing someone. But when she returns, she opens a door to old memories, about nasty little things she had forgotten that had really happened. She hated and judicated her mother for it.

Its a dramatic movie, that moves, loses and scares the viewer in ways the contemporary audience would'nt have expected from a King inspired story. Its ending is its only flaw. It dribbles on too long when the film should finished, but it had to tell what happens to the protagonists. Before that, it feels like a film directed by Sam Raimi with close ups and inventive shots of painted scenes and dark subject matter scenes have the contrast liquefied. And the film is always jumping into the past with injecting the colorful years back into the shot as it tells its story non-linearly in flashbacks.

Its story is its attraction. So I will not spoil it in this review. But give you idea of what you're going into; get ready to be uncomfortable, both for an old film that has a slow start; and pathetic characters who wont be easy to like. Now to contradict that, this must the best casted film I've seen in awhile. Kathy Bates as Dolores Claiborne; she showed how good she is as a frighting number 1 fan in Stephen King's Misery and she is just as phenomenally entertaining in this film. Jennifer Jason Leigh is probably the worst casted member, she falls through most scene and makes it when its counts.

But to be honest she playing a pretty messed up and broken, conflicted young woman in world where she has no control over what she wants or has any idea how bad thing really are. Christopher Plummer is easily the best performance and Judt Parfitt. But more memorable is the supporting role by John C Reiley; he's easy to dislike but makes the final scene a bit more bearable when his character finally makes sense.

It has a cut-off small town in New England with each actor giving away that, with a borderline accent. It has two main plots, one about the past and redemption and revelation and the present that is like I said always coated in a dead dark and dramatic aesthetics that makes the well tolled tale more moving. A long time housekeeper is the main suspect to a murderer, but of course its not all that easy; its find by Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that in fact they loved each other and even help each other in terrible moments in the past. Then the second plot is about Selena herself taking control of her life by reciting her abusive alcoholic father and accepting her mother has always been there for her.

A very sweet film when you don't think about some moments that are really dark, but King and the director Taylor Hackford; mash up their story telling talent with some really great filmmaking. with scenes like this; when the character is effortlessly looking into the past without prompt to whether the audience is ready. Or this scene when the mirror resembles how ruined their lives are. And this just amazing looking transcendence scene from the second act to the final act with a polarizing moon eclipse.

But again; the only thing that would stop me from watching this stylish mystery drama is the ending. It could have ended somewhere before the final moments, before Jason Leigh gave the whole second degree in an unshabby courtroom scene and makes the other actors seem like they're saying your ruining this film. But I digress, a nice film is a nice film. And Dolores Claiborne is a Stephen King film made by Sam Raimi -- that's what the film felt like for me. But more seriously its a drama film for dramatic narrative. And looks way too nice not work on some less hardhearted viewers.