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"In Michael Curtiz's hands, James M. Cain's novel Mildred Pierce became a suburban noir, but Todd Haynes spins a more class-conscious tale in this HBO miniseries. The Depression is in effect when Mildred (Kate Winslet, ably filling Oscar-winner Joan Crawford's formidable shoes) breaks with her unfaithful husband, Bert (Brían F. O'Byrne), leaving the Glendale housewife to support her daughters as a waitress and part-time baker (cinematographer Ed Lachman brings her confections to delectable life). To keep up the middle-class façade, only neighbor Lucy (a fine Melissa Leo) knows about her blue-collar day job.
By protecting 11-year-old Veda (Morgan Turner) from the truth, however, Mildred encourages her snobbish tendencies, but then her pastry-making skills allow her to open a chain of restaurants with help from Lucy, feisty colleague Ida (Mare Winningham), and opportunistic realtor Wally (James LeGros, Safe), with whom she has a fling. That ends when she falls for playboy Monty (a dashing Guy Pearce), who takes a shine to Veda, at which point the girl becomes truly insufferable. The first time Mildred slaps her, it's hard not to suppress a cheer. The second time: Veda slaps her mother back. In 1937, when Mildred finally kicks her out (Evan Rachel Wood plays the teenaged Veda), you'll wonder why she didn't do it sooner.
Since 1941, audiences have debated Mildred's attempts to buy her daughter's love. Was Veda a bad seed or did slack parenting make her that way? In ditching the murder of the Curtiz film, Haynes and cowriter Jon Raymond (Meek's Cutoff) lend clarity to her motivations. Despite some awkward staging towards the end, Haynes directs with grace, and his cast rises to the occasion, particularly Winslet and O'Byrne. 'Sometimes,' Mildred tells Veda, 'I wonder if you have good sense.' The phrase applies equally well to her mother. --Kathleen C. Fennessy"
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mildred Pierce very entertaining,
This review is from: Mildred Pierce (DVD)
"Mildred Pierce"is very entertaining. It is an excellent screen play, well acted drama/thriller almost with a sting in the tail. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bumpy Road to Sccess,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Mildred Pierce (DVD)
Mini-series are generally meant to stretch over several weeks and move the viewer along in a carefully orchestrated sequence of events that cover an unfolding drama. Miss one episode and you've lost the narrative. That is why I usually wait to view such productions when they are released in DVD format. There is nothing like following the fascinating roller-coaster life of Mildred Pierce at your own pace without the fear of missing a key turning point. Mildred is one of those eponymous female characters who can do everything a man can do but better. Her defining moment comes when she and her husband break up and she is left to fend for herself and her two daughters at the onset of the Great Depression. As a housewife she has always been dependent on him to be the breadwinner. Now she has to remake herself in a hurry or starve. This six-part series covers her negative and positive experiences as she re-invents herself into a successful businesswoman, with some help from a few admiring male friends. She quickly learns to keep her own counsels and take risks that amount to using her charm to get men to work for her while remaining independent. Along the way she will experience sorrow, betrayal, heartache and doubt. This series, though a bit racy in places, does a wonderful job in capturing the changing culture of southern California society over four decades, as children abandon the dreams of their parents to pursue their own. In the end, 'Mildred Pierce' underscores a very important truth that success usually comes for those who stay the course and don't get distracted or consumed by problems along the way. Once again, Kate Winslet is ideally suited to play the resourceful, talented Mildred to a tee.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mildred Pierce,
By
This review is from: Mildred Pierce: The Collector's Edition (DVD/BD Combo Pack) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Wonderful, beautiful movie. We enjoyed every second of it. A must see movieService was fast too, it arrived sooner than I thought.
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