Dolores Claiborne Review

Dolores Claiborne is a 1995 American psychological thriller drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, and David Strathairn. It is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The plot focuses on the strained relationship between a mother and her daughter, largely told through flashbacks, after her daughter arrives to her remote hometown on a Maine island where her mother has been accused of murdering the elderly woman for whom she had long been a care-provider and companion.

The film was the second major King film adaptation to star Bates in a leading role after Misery (1990) five years earlier. The screenplay for Dolores Claiborne was adapted by Tony Gilroy, and the film was shot in Nova Scotia in 1994. Dolores Claiborne was well-received by critics, with the performances of Bates and Leigh being especially praised, and grossed over $46 million on a $13 million budget. Kathy Bates stated in a retrospective interview that her performance as the titular Dolores was her favorite performance she had ever given. In 2013, Time named the film among the top 10 greatest Stephen King film adaptations.