Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

nycritic The 1990s saw an interesting resurgence of very British comedies set in or around the turn of the century, possibly with the success of Merchant-Ivory outings or the universally acclaimed ENCHANTED APRIL. All in all, this one came and went and barely received little more than a nod here and there but proves that good -- even great -- films don't need to be Oscar-touted and have a grandiose feel.As a matter of fact, like the Irish town of Kilshannon where the story is set, WIDOW'S PEAK is intimate and small scale. It tells the tale of a clique of widows who are all manners, social rules and regulations, led by Mrs. Doyle Couninhan (Joan Plowright in full matriarch mode), presiding over the town like a sinister spider. Miss O'Hare (Mia Farrow) is not a widow but has a past, and this past comes to taunt her once Edwina Broome (Natasha Richardson) comes into town: immediately they rub each other the wrong way and every encounter escalates in intensity, with each of the women put in a position where we sympathize with them at times, and then we don't (since both behave in less than noble ways), which leaves us unsure of where this is all going -- but enjoying the suspenseful ride nevertheless. While reviewing this film could reveal major secrets, it's enough to say that when the pay-off comes around, it's completely satisfying. All three female leads perform their roles without out-shining the other, but for once, Farrow doesn't act like she's an automated mold straight out of the Woody Allen factory of actors. A delicious comedy, one of those small-yet-hidden gems of films that are worth a try, and worth seeing as a companion piece to A MONTH BY THE LAKE.

dbdumonteil 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.

moonspinner55 Undernourished costume drama from writer Hugh Leonard and director John Irvin, with Natasha Richardson playing pretty war widow from 1920s England who comes to gossip-laden town in Ireland and gets on the wrong side of a surly spinster (Mia Farrow, looking wrung-out). This small Irish village is beset with the usual gaggle of hot-headed supporting characters, all sounding off on cue as if they were on stage. Poor in nearly every department: the color photography is bad, the twist at the finish is outlandish, and the handling is skittish and lumpy. One can only imagine the team of Merchant-Ivory expanding the central idea of this piece, giving that final twist a few more screws and applying more gloss and luster to the production. Alas, that panache just isn't present. *1/2 from ****

Michael J Olson Widow's Peak is a sugar coated predictable girls' movie that did not motivate or excite me in the least. I just sat and kind of stared at the screen until it was done. I guess it did have its moments in humor, but I'm a guy and I need more action.