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Dolores Claiborne

Dolores Claiborne

Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1995

Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.

Movie details

Dolores Claiborne

“Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend.”

1995 Crime · Drama · Mystery 2h 12m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dolores Claiborne?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Taylor Hackford

Written by

Tony Gilroy

Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates

Dolores Claiborne

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Selena St. George

Judy Parfitt

Judy Parfitt

Vera Donovan

Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer

John Mackey

David Strathairn

David Strathairn

Joe St. George

Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian

Peter

John C. Reilly

John C. Reilly

Const. Frank Stamshaw

Court is in session

Put Dolores Claiborne on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.