Watch Dolores Claiborne For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Thanks for the memories!

Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

Slow, predictable, depressing and miserable. Add to that the "obvious" acting by Jennifer Jason Leigh, her ineptitude heightened by the brilliant acting of Kathy Bates. Will we be watching it again in the future, highly unlikely.

"Dolores Claiborne" is an intriguing adaptation of Stephen King's fascinating novel, featuring a terrifying and thought-provoking account of a middle-aged woman's complex and tragedy-ridden life. Kathy Bates superbly portrays Dolores Claiborne, the main character whose marriage, work life, motherhood and subsequent years after the unfolding of the events depicted in the movie are the film's central frame. We see Kathy Bates as a young mother and maidservant for the difficult Vera Donovan, who is portrayed by the great Judy Parfitt. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Dolores' daughter Selena, a complex character with more facets than a first look would allow to notice. While John C. Reilly and Christopher Plummer play great supporting roles, it's David Strathairn who may be the most outstanding supporting actor in the movie, portraying a frightening version of Dolores' husband Joe.Stephen King's novel may well be one of my personal favorite books, so it was only with great expectations that I started watching Taylor Hackford's interpretation of the story. Hackford changed a lot about the time line and added scenes including further confrontations between Selena and Dolores, but none of those decisions affected the movie in a negative way. The film mainly works thanks to the amazing performance of Kathy Bates, one of the best actresses working nowadays who deserves to be given more serious stuff in the vein of "Misery", "Fried Green Tomatoes" or "Dolores Claiborne" to work with. The story itself may be a rather ordinary one, but Stephen King made it work thanks to the unusual style of writing and one of his most memorable and most interesting narrators, and Taylor Hackford made it work thanks to casting Kathy Bates in this complex role.It is my personal belief that "Dolores Claiborne" easily lives up to the reputation of another Stephen King classic starring Kathy Bates, "Misery". While the latter may be the more memorable movie, there is no doubt that both these movies (and novels) are incredibly well-written and turn a simply premise into an engaging and thrilling story. Even if you already know the plot from the beginning to the end - as you do by reading Stephen King's novel, where he establishes the main plot elements from the very beginning -, both the movie and the book will not stop being engaging until its very end, and in my opinion, that's what good storytelling is about. It may not be a masterpiece, but it is an underrated story more than deserving of your attention and your time.

This one tends to get ignored when people consider the 'classic' Stephen King film adaptations (the first 20 years), but it's very subtle, nuanced, and is basically one of King's finest and more mature works. If it was even possible for Kathy Bates to out-do her Oscar-winning work in 'Misery', she still did so, and nailed it. I'm a huge fan of John C. Reilly, Eric Bogosian (why 'Talk Radio is my favourite Oliver Stone movie and 'Under Siege 2' my favourite Steven Seagal film), David Strathairn, Christopher Plummer and especially, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the Tony Gilroy script serves them beautifully.Unfairly, I tend to joke about director Taylor HACKford, but it just may be that he's a more contemporary model of such versatile directors from the past as Norman Jewison and Robert Wise. That's fairly esteemed company--and here, he abides himself quite nicely in some of his best work.

I usually don't review films that 100 or more people have already reviewed, but on rare occasions -- either because a film is exceptionally good or bad -- I make an exception. As I am doing here, for a film which is exceptionally good.Above all else, this film excels due to strong performances by an excellent cast. And at the top of the list is Kathy Bates. This was just one in a series of bravura performances by Bates in the 1990s, and she was at the top of her form here.I can't say that I enjoy Jennifer Jason Leigh in this film, but there's no denying her acting as the bitter now grown daughter was very good. Judy Parfitt, as the murder victim...or not, turns in a riveting performance, particularly the scenes where she subtly suggests murder and where she is an almost total invalid. Christopher Plummer, in a not so likable role as a police investigator, also posts a strong performance. This happened to be the first film in which I saw (or at least noticed) David Strathairn, here in a strong performance as the abusive husband.The script is also strong. I think flashbacks in films are overdone, but here they work well in relating what is a two-part story that ultimately centers around child molestation. Most of the photography is somewhat stark, but that works well for the story and the location; the photography during the eclipse is quite stunning.I rarely give an "8"; my rule for that is that it has to be something unique. This is a rather unique film, and I think one of the better translations of a Stephen King novel to the screen.Highly recommended.