Todd Haynes's uber-Mommie Dearest drama, starring Kate Winslet, reminds one of a faded postcard, found in an old box of precious keepsakes – wistfully pretty to look at – for a moment anyway. The 5+ hour remake of the 1945 Warner Bros film classic, drags in all the wrong places, partly due to the cable giant's "bigger is better" miniseries mania and the miscasting of the central characters of Mildred Pierce, Veda (the elder), and Monty Beragon. In their determination to render up a carbon copy of the book, written by James M. Cain in 1941, Mildred Pierce 2011 is transformed into a tired and over-wrought tale that signifies a lot of ho-hum. Directed and co-adapted for the mini-screen by Todd Haynes, his Mildred Pierce adds all the modern clichés of incestual longings and guy-on-girl action, which does little to save this remake from tanking. If anything, suggesting that Mildred has sexual longings for Veda undercuts the tension and appears like a cheap anchovy thrown into an already over-rich stew.
Ms. Winslet struggles to deliver her usual tour-de-force performance in this psychological doppelganger study of Mildred, the mother who obsessively clings to her bitch of a daughter, Veda, while climbing her ladder of success as a restaurateur. Kate Winslet's Mildred is too polite and refined to hold our interest in this tepid soap opera. The five-part series spends the first three on Mildred and Veda's complex relationship, which is three times too long in OHLand's opinion. Morgan Turner - spellbinding as the young Veda – is a tough act to follow. It's too bad that Evan Rachel Wood had to be the one to step into the adult Veda's shoes, because she often looks silly, like a little girl caught wearing mommy's makeup. A wiser choice for this pivotal role would have been the smooth, kitty-cat Daveigh Chase, from HBO's "Big Love" mini-series. Guy Pearce, as Monty, the faded Pasadena playboy, comes off as a smarmy schoolboy with a bad haircut. Mark Strong, of "Robin Hood" fame, seems the most logical choice to bite into this juicy character. In using "name" stars like Wood and Pearce, HBO settled for the bottom-line instead of making bolder casting choices to strengthened their lengthy treatment and Ms. Winslet's dramatic efforts. Brian F. O'Byrne does what he can with the lackluster character of Bert, Mildred's tiresome husband. Melissa Leo as the straight-talking Lucy, Mildred's friend and confidant and James LeGros, as Wally, the Pierce's friendly neighborhood conman, deftly bring new life to these memorable supporting characters.
Kudos goes to award-winning costume designer Ann Roth and the entire Mildred Pierce 2011 wardrobe department, who succeeds in recreating the faded classic feel of the period with timeless colors, simple cuts, and rich pattern work.
Perhaps we're just too used to the tough-as-nails Crawford version, with its dramatic music, noir-ish moodiness, and sensational murder – all in 111 minutes! Naw what captivates us is the snarling dialogue between Crawford as Mildred and Ann Blyth's Veda and that ferocious slap-out on the staircase. Trying to remake something that's already a great masterpiece is really a waste of time, because as we all know, a masterpiece is a timeless creation.
Duh, HBO!
Ms. Winslet struggles to deliver her usual tour-de-force performance in this psychological doppelganger study of Mildred, the mother who obsessively clings to her bitch of a daughter, Veda, while climbing her ladder of success as a restaurateur. Kate Winslet's Mildred is too polite and refined to hold our interest in this tepid soap opera. The five-part series spends the first three on Mildred and Veda's complex relationship, which is three times too long in OHLand's opinion. Morgan Turner - spellbinding as the young Veda – is a tough act to follow. It's too bad that Evan Rachel Wood had to be the one to step into the adult Veda's shoes, because she often looks silly, like a little girl caught wearing mommy's makeup. A wiser choice for this pivotal role would have been the smooth, kitty-cat Daveigh Chase, from HBO's "Big Love" mini-series. Guy Pearce, as Monty, the faded Pasadena playboy, comes off as a smarmy schoolboy with a bad haircut. Mark Strong, of "Robin Hood" fame, seems the most logical choice to bite into this juicy character. In using "name" stars like Wood and Pearce, HBO settled for the bottom-line instead of making bolder casting choices to strengthened their lengthy treatment and Ms. Winslet's dramatic efforts. Brian F. O'Byrne does what he can with the lackluster character of Bert, Mildred's tiresome husband. Melissa Leo as the straight-talking Lucy, Mildred's friend and confidant and James LeGros, as Wally, the Pierce's friendly neighborhood conman, deftly bring new life to these memorable supporting characters.
Kudos goes to award-winning costume designer Ann Roth and the entire Mildred Pierce 2011 wardrobe department, who succeeds in recreating the faded classic feel of the period with timeless colors, simple cuts, and rich pattern work.
Perhaps we're just too used to the tough-as-nails Crawford version, with its dramatic music, noir-ish moodiness, and sensational murder – all in 111 minutes! Naw what captivates us is the snarling dialogue between Crawford as Mildred and Ann Blyth's Veda and that ferocious slap-out on the staircase. Trying to remake something that's already a great masterpiece is really a waste of time, because as we all know, a masterpiece is a timeless creation.
Duh, HBO!