Customer Reviews
Who is Dolores ? - By: Jay, 30 Sep 2007 
Who is Dolores ? - a greedy monster & a murderer or an unhappy woman for whom an accident is sometimes a best friend? Kathy Bates received the Oscar for her portrayal of a psychotic nurse in another King's adaptation, "Misery" but I believe that Dolores Claiborne is her best role. She carries the film & I don't think that any other actress could fit the part as well as Bates did which brings the question - maybe King wrote the book with her in mind, who knows? Judy Parfitt is extremely well cast as Vera Donovan, an arrogant ice queen, who was capable of understanding & care for Dolores & her daughter & who knew too well about loneliness & despair. David Strathairn deserves high praise for his Joe St. George, Dolores's abusive husband & Selena's father from hell.
Spellbinding, classy, entertainment - By: David R. Bishop, 03 Aug 2007 
A seriously underrated movie.
Direction is first class, photography is brilliant, particularly in the flashbacks where it helps create mood.
The cast is splendid. I agree with most other reviewers that Kathy Bates is on top form, but also look for a star turn from our own Judy Parfitt.
The whole thing has a quality that feels more British than Hollywood. Maybe that is because the setting in Maine is as close to us as it is to California.
I'm afraid to say much about the plot in case you have never seen it, but it is a clever & engaging story.
For the price of a drink, this has to be a must.
A perfect slice of Americana - By: Mr. T. S. Hughes, 19 Apr 2007 Very few King adaptations stay completely true to the original novels however apart from the big names such as Carrie, Misery, Shawshank Redemption,The green mile & The Shining very few King adaptations gain any recognition/critical acclaim. A few years ago I saw Needful Things & I can't get over the mediocre reviews on this site the book is at the moment my favorite novel, but the film was very enjoyable. Dolores Claiborne however starts with a horrific & mysterious accident which keeps you both disturbed but determined to seek answers & that is how the film takes off & with the terrific job from the director & of course King legend Kathy Bates its bound to be an eye opener. Watch it now!
Masterpiece in every sense of the word - By: IJ, 15 Nov 2004 There are no extra's on this dvd to speak of (except for a trailer that's entertaining, but not informative) & while I would have reallly enjoyed some 'making-of' featurettes, they would have been completely superfluous. This is because the Director's Commentary by Taylor Hackford is without doubt the best commentary on a dvd I've ever heard- he has such an enormous passion & pride for the film that it's easy to see how this became such a gem in the history of cinema. The details he recallls from the time he spent on this project & his musings on the many film-making processes involved are both very relevent to the film & utterly involving.
This is one of my top-5 films of alll time, but even if it wasn't I don't think I could be anything other than bowled over by this director's vision & enthusiasm, & also vivid & absorbing audio presence. If you choose to purchase this dvd having never before seen 'Dolores Claiborne' I can assure you that you'll definitely want to learn more about its' making (if not, you will be denying yourself a great insight & pleasure). So although you won't be getting a multitude of extra's, if you choose to turn to the commentary page you will at least learn more about this film than probably even the actor's themselves.
As to the film itself- if you havn't seen it before, you've probably been mislead by trailers that have marketed this as horror or murder mystery & while it does contain elements of these genres, with such tour-de-force performances from alll key players- this is primarily a great drama. While Kathy Bates (in the unforgettable title role) steals the show, Jenifer Jason Leigh is a magnetic presence & Christopher Plummer both solid & intense & alll are appropriatley bitter from the various & disturbing traumas they experience.
As the director informs us in his commentary- this film secured zero oscar nominations, recieved no awards & most surprisingly- very little praise or even recognition upon its release- watch & enjoy & realise the travesty!
Watch it again and again - By: , 25 May 2004 How many films can you name that you would gladly pick up & watch again & again? Some people can only count them on one hand. This is one of those films. I suppose one reason is the great dialogue. When you're young you want action & big explosions but when you get older you want a film for grown ups. Watching this film you realise you have discovered just that, a film where you bring your brain along & are glad that you did.
Apart from the marvellous dialogue an intriguing aspect is the way the story is told. Not linear, it goes back & forth but you are so glad that it does. Some people can be put off by that, but that is because some films do it to pretend they are clever when they are not. This film however doesn't annoy when it does it. I don't know how they managed it but jumps to a place just when you want it to.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is wonderful in this, Judy Parfitt too, it is a talented ensemble cast.
Now, this is Stephen King. I am a big fan of his but can tell a mile off when he has had a hand in the film adaptations. Rest assured, this is one of the best, in the class of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile & Misery, you know, the ones he has nothing to do with. When he gets involved you end up with The (dreaded) Langoliers, The (drawn out) Golden Years, The (not bad) Storm of the Century, The (toned down) Stand & The (reallly rather good) Shining (the TV one not the Kubrick one). These are alll made for TV & they belie their TV roots in their excessive length & tame content. The ones he leaves alone & lets the movie makers get on with can sometimes be delightful grown-up affairs. Be assured, this is not tame, & although it does spend a little time away from the story it alll adds to the atmosphere, something this film has in spades!
