Watch This Now: Mildred Pierce

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 28, 2011 3:30PM

Somehow we doubt that we were the only ones to locate a friend whose apartment has HBO, so we could watch last night's premiere of Mildred Pierce. Gosh, we're glad we did. It's some of the best television we've seen in a long time.

You can look for deeper meanings if you want (is it about the pressures of being a single parent? a commentary on our current economic hardships?) but at its core, Mildred Pierce is simply solid, carefully crafted storytelling. And, let's face it, the fact that pies, chicken, and waffles are key plot points doesn't hurt. Cinematic wunderkind Todd Haynes has taken James M. Cain's 1941 novel about a self-made woman and fashioned a juicy, compelling tale of survival and ambition. With the help of co-scripter Jon Raymond, and a stellar production team including cinematographer Ed Lachman, early-1930's suburban America is rendered with a vividness that almost has a documentary quality. Every detail is perfectly in place, and the nearly 5-hour running time of the mini-series allows Haynes to tell the story with the sort of texture and nuance that would be excised were this an ordinary feature-length film.

A perfect example is the lengthy sequence depicting Mildred's first day waiting tables at a "hash joint." What could have been rendered as a standard montage is instead a bravura examination of how the restaurant's kitchen, including its cooks and wait staff, functions on a normal day. It puts you squarely in the movie's world. This isn't just a sordid soap opera--it's a masterful evocation of a specific time and place. Haynes gives us the room we need to absorb the location.

As Mildred, Kate Winslet is impeccable. She imparts a frisson to the role that's magnetic; although you know exactly what kind of a woman Mildred is, there's still the feeling of not quite being able to guess what she'll do next. As her kind-hearted and semi-corpulent bedpartner Wally, James LeGros measures up to his name. Guy Pierce does a convincing twist on Johnny Depp as MIldred's rakish lover Monty (and also contributes a hot and heavy love scene that pops up in Part 2, reminding you that there are certain things you can see on HBO that you can't see on other channels). Melissa Leo, Mare Winningham, and Hope Davis also appear. Evan Rachel Wood will appear in the last three episodes as Mildred's spoiled daughter Veda.

Parts 1 and 2 aired last night and are now available on demand (and will re-air frequently over the next few weeks). Part 3 will be shown next Sunday, and the miniseries wraps up with Parts 4 and 5 on April 10.

Did you watch it last night? What did you think?