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Set in a small island in Maine, Dolores Claiborne follows the titular woman (Kathy Bates) after she is accused of murdering her wealthy yet elderly employer, Vera. The inquiry by obsessive Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer) brings Dolores' estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) reluctantly back into the island, which in turn stirs up memories about the death of Dolores' husband and Selena's father 18 years ago.
This is a film I saw some time during the late 1990s, maybe even more than once, and that somehow stuck with me. Not only because of the intrigue of how the story unfolds its mystery, but also because of the dynamics between the "no shit taken" Dolores and the bitter and resentful Selena. Both elements remain probably the most interesting aspects of the film, although rewatching it made me more aware of its flaws.
My first issue is more of a "story" issue (i.e. Stephen King) and not necessarily the film's, but I don't think the whole "Did Dolores murder her employer" angle was either necessary or well executed. I understand it is a way to put us a bit against her and keep us guessing a bit, but I thought there was enough with the mother/daughter conflict and the flashbacks about the father to hold the film, and the flashbacks about the father. Also, as much as I love Plummer, the character of Mackey is not that well written. The final inquiry where he lashes at Dolores only to have Selena swoop in to the rescue wasn't very well written or handled.
Thankfully, Bates is an excellent actress and she puts so much into this character that you can, at the most, feel for her or at the very least, understand where she's coming from as a woman trapped by the circumstances. By contrasting who she was with who she is, we can understand the "real hell" that has come over her slowly. Jason Leigh does her best with an underwritten character, but despite that, her moments with Bates are pretty good, thanks to both actresses. I just wish we could've gotten more inside Selena's mind and her feelings since she's the most vulnerable character after all.
But the focus of the story is Dolores, a tragic character that slowly gets thrown into a figurative hell; from an abusive relationship to the subsequent harassments, suspicions, and humiliations from townspeople, she has seen hell coming at her slowly through the years, and has embraced her role as a "b-itch", perhaps to shield herself. The film is a solid example of two women choosing to finally face that hell, not to automatically fix their lives, but to start to walk away from it together.
Grade:
DOLORES CLAIBORNE
(1995, Hackford)
A drama film • A film based on a book
(1995, Hackford)
A drama film • A film based on a book
"Hell ain't something you get thrown into overnight. The real hell comes on you as slow... and steady as a line of wet winter sheets."
Set in a small island in Maine, Dolores Claiborne follows the titular woman (Kathy Bates) after she is accused of murdering her wealthy yet elderly employer, Vera. The inquiry by obsessive Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer) brings Dolores' estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) reluctantly back into the island, which in turn stirs up memories about the death of Dolores' husband and Selena's father 18 years ago.
This is a film I saw some time during the late 1990s, maybe even more than once, and that somehow stuck with me. Not only because of the intrigue of how the story unfolds its mystery, but also because of the dynamics between the "no shit taken" Dolores and the bitter and resentful Selena. Both elements remain probably the most interesting aspects of the film, although rewatching it made me more aware of its flaws.
My first issue is more of a "story" issue (i.e. Stephen King) and not necessarily the film's, but I don't think the whole "Did Dolores murder her employer" angle was either necessary or well executed. I understand it is a way to put us a bit against her and keep us guessing a bit, but I thought there was enough with the mother/daughter conflict and the flashbacks about the father to hold the film, and the flashbacks about the father. Also, as much as I love Plummer, the character of Mackey is not that well written. The final inquiry where he lashes at Dolores only to have Selena swoop in to the rescue wasn't very well written or handled.
Thankfully, Bates is an excellent actress and she puts so much into this character that you can, at the most, feel for her or at the very least, understand where she's coming from as a woman trapped by the circumstances. By contrasting who she was with who she is, we can understand the "real hell" that has come over her slowly. Jason Leigh does her best with an underwritten character, but despite that, her moments with Bates are pretty good, thanks to both actresses. I just wish we could've gotten more inside Selena's mind and her feelings since she's the most vulnerable character after all.
But the focus of the story is Dolores, a tragic character that slowly gets thrown into a figurative hell; from an abusive relationship to the subsequent harassments, suspicions, and humiliations from townspeople, she has seen hell coming at her slowly through the years, and has embraced her role as a "b-itch", perhaps to shield herself. The film is a solid example of two women choosing to finally face that hell, not to automatically fix their lives, but to start to walk away from it together.
Grade: