Mildred Pierce (1945)

Featured Audience Ratings

• KJ P

  
  The story of "Mildred Pierce," follows Mildred, a poor woman who is about to divorce her wealthy husband. Once this happens, she results to becoming a waitress in order to put food on the table for her children. She quickly moves up in the business and eventually takes a… More
  The story of "Mildred Pierce," follows Mildred, a poor woman who is about to divorce her wealthy husband. Once this happens, she results to becoming a waitress in order to put food on the table for her children. She quickly moves up in the business and eventually takes a chance in creating her own restaurant chain. She becomes very successful and wealthy, but like all happiness, there is always an end. I absolutely loved every second of this film, even though there was an overload of cheesy lines and a scene (which I will not spoil) that was a little too random and subtle to be taken seriously. Besides it's few catastrophically minor setbacks, "Mildred Pierce" helms a spot at the top of my list of mystery films. This film is a journey that I would be willing to take, many more times!

• AJ V

  
  What a fantastic movie, I loved it, the story is great and the actors are even better! One of my favourite movies.

• Jeremy S

  
  Ida Corwin: "Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young." Too right. Joan's master performance a riveting film noir film with a suprising ending.

• Randy T

  
  Not to take anything away from Joan Crawford's performance, but this part had oscar written all over it regardless of who got cast. Strong, heroic female characters were somewhat rare in 1945 and it's easy to see why Miss Crawford fought hard for this role. I would have… More
  Not to take anything away from Joan Crawford's performance, but this part had oscar written all over it regardless of who got cast. Strong, heroic female characters were somewhat rare in 1945 and it's easy to see why Miss Crawford fought hard for this role. I would have loved to have seen an actress with a little more warmth get the part (maybe a June Allyson or a Linda Darnell). Still, it's undoubtedly Joan Crawford's signature performance. MILDRED PIERCE resurrected her career and cemented her place as a legend of Hollywood's golden age. *From IMDB: Both Bette Davis and Rosalind Russell turned down the title role, Ann Sheridan was also considered for the part and Barbara Stanwyck was "very keen to take it" before Joan Crawford won her battle for the role. Its interesting to note that Shirley Temple was considered for the role of nasty little spoiled-rotten Veda.

• First L

  
  Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) launches herself off the screen like a female Citizen Kane, only her motivation for success is the love of her incredibly spoiled daughter. Every man in Mildred's life, to a tee, is either a shiftless, conniving goldbrick or a brutish lout who lusts… More
  Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) launches herself off the screen like a female Citizen Kane, only her motivation for success is the love of her incredibly spoiled daughter. Every man in Mildred's life, to a tee, is either a shiftless, conniving goldbrick or a brutish lout who lusts after her. It's no wonder Mildred eventually (seemingly) cracks. The movie opens with a murder, and then proceeds to tell how that murder came to take place, starting with her first marriage which ended when her husband walked out on his family for another woman. Left with nothing, except a daughter with a taste for the finest things in life, Mildred works as a waitress during the day and bakes pies all night for the restaurant. Eventually, after years of work, and with the help of her ex husband's old partner (who's desperate to get her in the sack), she goes into business for herself and opens her own restaurant. Her daughter, is disgusted by the common work her mother does, mocks her openly and relentlessly. This daughter would be an enormous star today, probably on Mtv, and probably on some show like "My Super Sweet 16" or "the Surreal Life", but it's the 1940s and no such channels existed, so the daughter's only option in life is to maker her mother miserable. Mildred's suffering seems to be alleviated when she meets millionaire playboy Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), but it's soon obvious he's just as much a freeloader as her daughter is. When he loses all his money he starts hitting her up for loans to pay for his polo saddles and monogrammed hankerchiefs (all the while, looking down his nose at her for only caring about money). It's quite an epic movie, combining murder mystery with melo-drama, and while it might not be as cinematic as Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane", the comparison is quite worthy. The daughter, Veda (played by Ann Blyth), is probably the most evil film daughter outside of "The Bad Seed", and Blyth plays it excellently, and as much as I hate the term "meaty part" (it just sounds gross and creepy), i think it applies here. Maybe Mildred Pierce is a proto-chick flick, but so what? It had me riveted.

• Drew S

  
  An explosive, female-centric noir with a shitload of rotten characters and some interesting moral dilemmas. Also featuring one of the most evil children ever to grace the silver screen! More later.

• Ken S

  
  Every character is despicable in this classic Noir by Michael Curtiz. Great dialog to boot.

• Lanning :

  
  Chilling. Anytime you actually have a mother pushed to the point of telling her daughter to get out before she kills her, you are looking at a bracing script, and a brave one. Never heard that in real life, but in the context of this film, I'd be hard pressed to say that… More
  Chilling. Anytime you actually have a mother pushed to the point of telling her daughter to get out before she kills her, you are looking at a bracing script, and a brave one. Never heard that in real life, but in the context of this film, I'd be hard pressed to say that Crawford is not justified in wanting to kill Ann Blyth. What a daughter. Again, I have to say flixsters that Jack Carson deserved a greater career. A true under-appreciated talent. And kudos for Eve Arden as well.

• Mason W

  
  Mildred Pierce is one of the best Joan Crawford films. Joan looks and acts wonderfully in this film which she won an Oscar for Best Actress. Joan plays a hard working woman that starts from the group up to have the best for her family. In time she has a hit restuarant but even… More
  Mildred Pierce is one of the best Joan Crawford films. Joan looks and acts wonderfully in this film which she won an Oscar for Best Actress. Joan plays a hard working woman that starts from the group up to have the best for her family. In time she has a hit restuarant but even with this her vicious daughter still wants more. A murder happens and what a great story to watch unfold.....a film worth watching for sure

• Veronique K

  
  it's a great parody on maternal love with its contrary perversion. directed by versatile michael curtiz who creates the legend of errol flynn swashbucklers as well as humprey bogart's war romance "casablanca"...this time curtiz bridles the fierce joan crawford to… More
  it's a great parody on maternal love with its contrary perversion. directed by versatile michael curtiz who creates the legend of errol flynn swashbucklers as well as humprey bogart's war romance "casablanca"...this time curtiz bridles the fierce joan crawford to gallope full throttle, and crawford's absolute woman power gets enhanced further by her wide-shouldered mink coat, but backfired by her trampy grasping daughter. as one line eve arden suggests "alligators have the right idea. they eat their young" which would be the most advocative notion after viewing this flick. crawford plays title character mildred pierce who possess the ironly mettle to perform her maternal duty. after her husband's sudden collapse of career which unfortunately leads to divorce, she stiffens her heart to go thru all sorts of hardship to be a successful businesswoman who could offer her children the best qualities of life. ironically this grandeur female menace is pupeteered by an adolescent brat whose every snobbish comment could induces ripples, sometimes even waves of tides, inside mildred that enslaves her into a unrepetent sucker-alike provider, just like nature's merciless circuit of food chain. worse of all, later her giglo-alike lover joins the league of her daughter on the scheme to drain the last penny of this seemingly powerful woman. ann blyth plays the highly manipulative daughter who combines sinisterness and childishness into the right dose of objectionability. only eve arden who plays mildred's confidate could almost upstage blyth's bitch-perfect pungency. when blyth remarks "i like you, ida...you're so delightful...for a bitch", she conducts herself with ease.."i like you, too." that means a toast back to fellow-bitch. the best pleasure of this flick is to witness a bunch of shrews urgently vying for their paranoiaic sense of esteem effortlessly. also crawford's boisterous private family affair of "mommie dearest" might also contrast or complement "mildred pierce" as another page of best exemplified cynicism in old hollywood history.

• Jennifer X

  
  Joan Crawford was made for this role. This movie keeps going and going, puts a unique twist on the classic film noir by putting manipulative daughter in the role of the femme fatale. I've gotta say I prefer this to Casablanca.

• William S

  
  Woman's picture par excellance! Crawford exuding brittle glamour like only Crawford could. No other actress suffered in furs so well!

• jay n

  
  hard as a diamond with great performances

• E.J. B

  
  It might have been a good movie in its time, but is seriously outdated by today's standards.

• Michael G

  
  I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. The style was amazing but the story went on a bit too long for me...

• Anastasia B

  
  Watching Joan Crawford in this iconic role, you can't help admiring her natural talent. She gives Mildred Pierce a soul. She's got an integrity and the spirit of a fighter. Compared to this version of the story, the latest mini-series with Kate Winslet starring as Mildred… More
  Watching Joan Crawford in this iconic role, you can't help admiring her natural talent. She gives Mildred Pierce a soul. She's got an integrity and the spirit of a fighter. Compared to this version of the story, the latest mini-series with Kate Winslet starring as Mildred seems depressing and colorless. Michael Curtiz's Oscar winning film is another original of unparalleled authenticity.

• Janice :

  
  Great film! Really looking forward to seeing more of Michael Curtiz's work! Side note: Ida is the coolest secondary character from a film noir yet. So sassy, love her!

Read all 17 featured audience ratings