Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline: Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend.

Selena St. George stares at the note and news clipping: her estranged mother Dolores has been accused of murder. Grudgingly, Selena returns to her tiny Maine hometown to offer help. Not that she believes Dolores is innocent. In truth, she harbors suspicions going back 20 years. Kathy Bates, who won a Best Actress Oscar for Misery, scores in another chilling Stephen King story (directed by Taylor Hackford) as tough-talking Dolores Claiborne. Jennifer Jason Leigh is wrenching as embittered Selena. The two circle warily, piecing together past and present, memory and fact, to reveal the startling truth behind two mysterious deaths.

Storyline: Dolores Claiborne works as a maid for a wealthy woman in remote Maine. When she is indicted for the elderly woman's murder, Dolores' daughter Selena returns from New York, where she has become a big-shot reporter. In the course of working out the details of what has happened, as well as some shady questions from the past and Selina's troubled childhood, many difficult truths are revealed about their family's domestic strife. This is cleverly portrayed with present reality shot in cool blue tones blending seamlessly into flashbacks shot in vivid color. As small town justice relentlessly grinds forward, surprises lie in store for the viewers.... Written by Tad Dibbern

User Comment: meshelly Vandalia, OH • The tension between Dolores (Kathy Bates) and her daughter Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is very real. The dreary New England environment, the constant taunting of Detective Mackey (well done by Christopher Plummer), and the suspicions and coldness of her daughter are not enough to demoralize Dolores. The love Dolores has for her daughter Selena gives her the conviction to withstand years of hard living so that her daughter's life could be better.

This is one of Kathy Bates' best roles. The oppressive employer Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt) is more than just the one dimensional character she initially appears to be. Vera and Dolores, though living quite different lives, realize they have much more in common than they thought. I was totally engrossed in the storyline and the depths of all the characters. The movie switches between the present and the past as the layers of each character's story and motivations unfold, showing a deeper side to Dolores and enabling Selena to finally grow up and see her mother for the resilient woman she is. The movie is serious and suspenseful. This is an example of how a strong storyline and exceptional acting are what make a movie a classic, not over-reliance explosions, sex, or special effects.

Summary: The movie Dolores Claiborne is an excellent look at a mother's selfless love and a daughter struggling to come to terms with her bitter childhood memories.

--- JOYA ---

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