WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

giorgio-prager Anyone writing a negative review of this gem you does not understand anything about: sadness, depression, rejection, marriage, love, beauty and redemption. This is not a judgement - everyone is free to live and experience life as they wish. But the fact is that this absolutely astounding piece of TV making manages to bring more substance and adult understanding of what life (specifically married life) *really* is than anything else I have ever seen on TV. The writing and the acting are of course brilliant. They express that which undergirds each life even if one isn't able to express it: the corrosiveness of regret, the tragedy of depression, the redemption by love, the unfathomable beauty of the world and the unsolvable mystery of it all. I could go on...this is Camus, Kafka, Fitzgerald, Williams...all rolled into one and set in a small town of Maine. Best thing I've seen on TV this year

Siebert_Tenseven Frances McDormand is Olive Kitteridge, a hard-core no-nonsense New Englander dealing with a case of inner turmoil manifesting in bouts of indigestion and an impolite, abrupt attitude. Not a sweet woman, and not unlike some sour school teachers I knew in New Hampshire. The supporting cast is fantastic. Richard Jenkins as Olive's husband Henry Kitteridge is spot on. John Gallagher Jr. as their son portrays a young man's dynamic struggle to accept his parents and their ways. Cory Michael Smith's portrayal of the older Kevin Coulson is amazing, and it is hoped we see more of him in future roles. Some of the bit parts are charming. Ann Dowd as the Kitteridge's friend Bonnie Newton shines as what one might think a genuine Downeasterner. Martha Wainwright appears repeatedly as Angela O'Meara, a pianist and singer all dolled up and performing in the restaurant piano bars, lending some levity to the darkness. There are a large number of great actors and actresses giving excellent performances, which provide this drama with a vastness going beyond the usual character development. It is not a cute romantic comedy or anything like that, so if you're looking for something lighter Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks starred in some very nice films. This is not like any of that, it's a truly remarkable work of art.

scottsmusic-622-405281 While I agree that the characters are well drawn and the acting is incredible, what an epic and crushing downer. There's absolutely an art to the technical aspects of the program, but why would anyone want to see tragedy upon tragedy, heartbreak after heartbreak, pain on top of pain. Not to say "happy endings" are always the answer, but homeless people seem to have it better than this lot. Granted, I'm sure there are some life lessons here but I don't need to spend my time getting my feelings hurt by a freaking TV show - and because this IS well made that is what they want to happen. I do not see the upside. Grasping the appeal of this kind of teleplay is befuddling, perhaps more than the miniseries itself. I saved myself a lot of sad hours watching uncaring, annoying negative people zombie through hardship and adversity by skipping this rest of this maudlin cry fest. A special thanks to Rich Muller from Berkeley, California - his review was spot on and allowed me to put my time to better use. Perhaps those hours could be spent improving the world instead of reveling in all it's tragedy. Maybe that's the lesson for me here.

Red_Identity This is an extra-ordinary piece of television. Where so many mini-series are constantly driven by a thread that drives it forward with momentum, this doesn't have that same urgency, which allows it to explore its themes in a way I don't think many TV series or mini-series have done. It's so wonderfully crafted, in all aspects. But really, it's the writing and performances where its true power soars. The acting is magnificent, McDormand might've just outdone her work in Fargo. A truly soulful, aching, incredibly heartfelt performance. We see Olive and her various flaws, and yet we can't help but sympathize with her and like her despite everything she does. The mark of a true revelation. Kind of hard to describe in words, but the acclaim is justified.