Mildred Pierce

In Michael Curtiz's hands, James M. Cain's novel Mildred Pierce became a suburban noir in 1945, but Todd Haynes spins a more class-conscious tale in this five-part 2011 HBO miniseries. The Depression is in effect when Mildred (Kate Winslet, ably filling Joan Crawford's shoes) parts from her unfaithful husband, Bert (Brían F. O'Byrne), leaving the Glendale housewife to work supporting her daughters as a waitress and part-time baker. To keep up the middle-class façade, Mildred tells only one person, neighbor Lucy (Melissa Leo), about her job; but by protecting 11-year-old Veda (Morgan Turner) from the truth, Mildred only encourages the elder child's snobbish tendencies. Mildred's pastry-making skills eventually enable her to open a chain of restaurants with help from Lucy, feisty colleague Ida (Mare Winningham), and opportunistic realtor Wally (James LeGros), with whom she has a fling. That ends when she falls for playboy Monty (Guy Pearce), who takes a shine to the musically inclined 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 hits her mother back. When Mildred finally kicks her out (Evan Rachel Wood plays the teenage Veda), you'll wonder why she didn't do it sooner. Audiences have long debated the issue of Mildred's attempts to buy her daughter's love—was Veda a bad seed or did poor parenting make her that way? Despite some awkward staging towards the end, the excellent cast—particularly Emmy recipients Winslet and Pearce—makes this work. Extras include two audio commentaries, a “making-of” featurette, and “Inside the Episode” segments. Highly recommended. (K. Fennessy)