Widows' Peak (1994)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Lack of good storyline.

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Overlooking a tiny Irish village is "Widows' Peak," an area inhabited by a tight-knit group of well-off widows. The doyen of the group is the venerable Mrs. Doyle-Counihan (Joan Plowright), who keeps the ladies in her circle on a short leash. An odd member of their society is Miss O'Hare (Mia Farrow), the only unmarried lady to be accepted as an intimate. When a flamboyant, young American woman (Natasha Richardson) moves in, she shakes up the town by quickly stealing the heart of Mrs. Doyle-Counihan's son and for no apparent reason, making a enemy of Miss O'Hare.Billed as a comedy/mystery/thriller, this very odd movie falls short on all counts. While it does paint a charming picture of Irish village life in the 1920s, both the plot and the local dialect are nearly incomprehensible and the ending is too much of a twist. Plowright (widow of Laurence Olivier) is wonderful as the foolish grande dame who thinks she knows everything. Farrow, however, is woefully miscast. Her Irish accent comes and goes and she looks like a spaced-out twenty-something, which hurts the ending. Richardson is simply annoying as the pushy and mysterious American. None of the characters, in fact, are likable in the least and I didn't care about any of them - with the exception of the local dentist, played to comic perfection by Jim Broadbent.This is a confusing, tedious, and disappointing movie that should have been so much better, considering the cast.

Nowadays,nine movies out of ten feature two male actors as the leads.For a change,"Widows Peak' boasts three actresses at the top of the bill.And what a threesome:Mia Farrow,a spinster,the Cinderella of a bunch of posh and distinguished ladies whose queen is none other than Joan Plowright.This wealthy widow ,with her hoity-toity ways, annoys anyone and all,including her son,a would be handy man,actually a big ninny,always tied to his mother's apron strings,although he firmly denies it.Enter Richardson,who plays a beautiful English widow,and Plowright would like her offspring to marry this rich heiress.A mortal feud begins between Farrow and Richardson.But things are not what they seem and prepare yourself for a lot of unexpected twists,till the very end.And you'll dig such witty lines as (the ironical lawyer to Plowright)"your real treasure is the love of your son".More than the shrewd plot,the everyday life of the little community is exquisitely depicted:the film (excerpts of De Mille's "ten commandments"(1923,of course!)during which Plowright is enjoying sweets,the mass on Sunday morning,the local dance during which Farrow and Richardson fight for... two tickets for King Vidor' s "the big parade",the regatta,the only time Plowright's son feels manly.An user regrets James Ivory did not direct it.One would probably have a better movie,for sure.The characters -particularly the lady and her son- verge on caricature. But anyway,watch it,if you like great actresses.

I'm feeling a bit silly here, but I thought Natasha Richardson was British. In this film, she has an American accent that sounds very cultivated, although I couldn't tell whether it was fake or simply voice training.I do like this movie, though, in fact I like it very much! Natasha was wonderful despite my confusion about her accent, and Mia Farrow was quite good, although it was hard to really see her as plain as she was in this film. It was fun to watch, though, and has you thinking at the end. Joan Plowright was superb, as usual.9/10.

This is an absolute masterpiece. I have watched the film innumerable times and still enjoy, with the best and most unpredictable climaxes I have ever seen. This film starts off as a great film and just gets better and better.