So much average

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

A very good movie about a woman named Dolores Claiborne. Dolores is a woman that was a maid for another woman, the elderly Vera Donovan. One day when the mailman came to deliver Vera her mail he found the maid Dolores standing over Vera with a marble rolling pin at the bottom of the stairs - this is how our movie begins. The question is: Dolores guilty of murder or was something else going on? Dolores daughter, Selena, gets a fax about her mother - she goes rushing back to get the story. But this is no family reunion time - Selena has not been happy with her mother for years.A wonderful chilling film! A great late night movie! 9/10

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.

Mother and daughter get to grips with the past.Hmmm. Old-fashioned flasher-back with swooping violins. And a right old Stephen King cheesefest - but with one outstanding element: Kathy Bates. A beautiful actress who brings this story to heights it almost doesn't deserve. Like Nicholson in The Shining. No idea what it is with King - his stuff attracts some real film talent.The daughter's performance is a real weak link, but what ya gonna do with the ridiculous trial scene toward the end? The detective is good, and the wealthy widow too, and it's charming to hear all those Maine accents.The skies looked great, and there's a lot of praise for the eclipse sequence, but I thought the masking of the dying man's cries by the flotilla's horns was more dramatic.There is one forced moment of horror, with the perverse reflection in the mirror, but really this is just a folksy family drama - which runs maybe 10 minutes too long.Overall, one merit: Kathy Bates Kathy Bates Kathy Bates.

It will grab you from the beginning, and hold your interest until the end.It is very moving.Not everyone can relate to poor, struggling, hard-working people while immersed in their usual aspect of life. I believe even dividend collectors, whose worst daily trial is the walk to the mailbox to collect their checks, "earned" off the backs of workers, can connect with this one.Interwoven is a story of repressed memory child abuse, and you are presented with a riveting tale that's horrific as well as compelling.Please give this one a try, even if you're not a Stephen King fan. You will be rewarded.