DOLORES CLAIBORNE
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1995 Michael John Legeros
(Columbia) Directed by Taylor Hackford (AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN) Written by Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Stephen King Cast Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Strathairn, Christopher Plummer MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for language and violence) Running Time 131 minutes Reviewed at General Cinema at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh (3/21)
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Since Brian DePalma first dumped a bucket of blood on Sissy Spacek almost twenty years ago, filmmakers have been scrambling to adapt Stephen King. Thirty-five times they've tried, and thirty-five times (by my count) they come up with only four words to describe their results: "very good" or "very bad."
No middle ground has ever existed for the bestselling author, who, in some circles, remains misunderstood because of those "very bad" ones. (He even directed one of them. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE. Shudder.)
DOLORES CLAIBORNE, thank goodness, is one of the "good" Stephen King films. The murder mystery--about a feisty New England woman (Kathy Bates) facing her second accusation of murder--is also a fitting companion piece to last year's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. There's even a script reference to the fictional prison.
Director Taylor Hackford and writer Tony Gilroy have expanded the bestseller. They've both jettisoned the first-person narrative, and introduced an adult daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who doesn't appear in the novel. Purists may scoff, but the changes work. The result is a dark feminist fantasy--one that works better as a showcase for the actors than as a statement of its politics.
Kathy Bates is no stranger to misery. She's a delight as the harried heroine who may have just pushed her employer--that wealthy invalid witch--right down the stairs. Dolores is just as colorful as described in the novel, even if the script omits some of her better confrontations.
Jennifer Jason Leigh, who is less fun, spends the entire movie moping as Dolores' estranged daughter Selena. The young actress broods better than any actress her age, though she could stand to lay off the cigarettes for a film or two. Who would've thought she'd still have her lungs after MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE?
The role of Dolores' late, abusive husband goes to David Strathairn. He plays it pretty broad. More appealing is Christopher Plummer who hams it up as the local detective. Watch for bit parts from Eric Bogosian (!) and Bob Gunton. The latter starred in SHAWSHANK.
Told with a number of flashbacks, the narrative of DOLORES CLAIBORNE is very easy to follow. The photography (by Gabriel Beristain) is great, the direction is smart, and the dialogue is crisp. If the ending's too tidy, it's no big deal. The source material still shines through.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the "good" Stephen King films, Mr. Man!
Grade: B+
-- Michael J. Legeros Raleigh, North Carolina
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