Mildred Pierce

Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Jo Ann Marlowe
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Rating: Approved
Genre: Drama, Film Noir
1945

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) works tirelessly to pursue a better life for her daughters, but the winding path she takes eventually gets caught up in a murder.

Review:

Tim: I was quite excited to watch Mildred Pierce this dramatic Film Noir was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won 1 (Best Actress). It comes from director Michael Curtiz, who is quite talented. I thought the movie was good, but I'm a bit surprised it received as much acclaim as it did. I'm glad I saw it, but it's not a film I would be that enthusiastic about seeing again.

The story was an interesting one, but it feels like it was stretched too far. The 1 hour, 51 minute run time felt too long and Curtiz's film meanders a bit too much. It offers a surprising conclusion, but it asks too much of the audience in the lead up to it. Rather than being shocked (as I should have been), I kind of shrugged- "oh, that's what happened..." was my reaction. This is due to a number of factors besides the movie being overly long. Another is that the cast is filled with unlikable characters. I get this aligns with Film Noirs to some extent, but I really didn't care about any of the characters in the entire film. They were all selfish, self-centered, obvious in their actions. That might have been okay at first, but as the film progresses, it becomes more and more taxing on the audience. By the end of the film, I was surprisingly not invested in the characters or their stories.

I'm honestly a bit surprised Joan Crawford won Best Actress for her role here. Oh, she's definitely good and she carries the movie well, but she never made me interested in her character. Mildred Pierce had some layers to her character, but none of these felt like they went very deep. She plays the role with ice in her veins. This might have helped her win in the 1940s, as it was so contrary to the majority of roles for women, but it felt to me that it was too reserved. She keeps the audience too much at a distance. I never got curious about her character, I was never drawn in to try and understand her because she wears her intentions so visibly on the outside. She does the "tough" thing really well, but I was surprised she didn't show more range in her performance. If I was an Academy voter back then, I doubt I would have voted for her.

The supporting cast is effective, but they're all in Crawford's orbit. Jack Carson played Wally with a lot of energy. You were somewhat drawn to his character because of his larger-than-life boisterousness. I never really liked his character, but he brings much to the film. Zachary Scott never quite felt aligned with the rest of the cast. I thought he was miscast in the role, but it's not like he did anything egregious with his performance. The biggest complaint I have is that I found his character dull and uninteresting. This might be somewhat due to the writing, but Scott is somewhat to blame, too. Eve Arden gave a great performance in one of the smaller roles in the film. I was surprised she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but I wasn't sorry. Her character is so strong-willed and outspoken, she increased the energy every time she was on screen. Crawford was smoldering and quiet, but Arden would immediately inject life into every scene she was in. Her role felt a bit too small, but she makes a huge impact on the film. Ann Blyth was really interesting as Veda. Her performance is more subtle than you'd expect. In the early stages of the film, I didn't think she was all that good. But, as the film progresses, she quietly makes a larger and larger impact on the film. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and while it at first surprised me, as I reflect on all she did here, I was duly impressed with her work. It's not as flashy as you would anticipate, but she makes a bit impact on the film. Jo Ann Marlowe and Moroni Olsen both added nice, smaller supporting performances, too.

I thought Mildred Pierce was a good movie, but it never got more than that. I didn't really like any of the characters, and their plotting and selfishness gets old as the film proceeds on. It does offer a startling conclusion, but I wasn't invested in the story enough to get that much out of it. Crawford's award-winning role is the biggest draw here, but it left me feeling cold. I wouldn't necessarily fault anyone who loved this movie or was moved by it, but it just didn't do any of those things for me. I have to believe it's a bit of an overrated movie. Yes, it likely pushed boundaries and buttons in the mid-1940s and that's a good thing, but that doesn't always translate into a fantastic movie. I'm glad I saw this film, but I expected to like it a lot more than I did.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Casablanca, Grand Hotel, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Lost Weekend, Spellbound