Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Donald Seymour
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
SluggoGal
Yes, this movie has the elements of a chick flick: it's about relationships, most of the main characters are women, it's set in the 1920s and has lovely costuming and beautiful English countryside settings, and there is a love story-- but it's also more than that. It's a complex story about a single woman (Mia Farrow) in an English village, and how she interacts with her widowed and single neighbors. It combines comedy and drama in a good mix. There is action, and good pacing, with a surprise twist at the end. There are excellent actors in this film and great chemistry between them. You care about the characters; even the annoying ones. One can tell that the actors enjoyed making this movie. I would recommend this film to just about anyone. If you are of the persuasion that normally avoids chick flicks or period pieces, give this one a try. You might be surprised at what you've been missing.
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.
Anya-fan
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.
taita
A delightful stroll in a Irish village ruled by the iron hand in the steel glove of local widow, Joan Plowright, who gives her usual impeccable and entertaining performance. The pace, the humour, and the plot are all perfectly executed, culminating in a climax that your best guess would not anticipate. Probably more a woman's movie, but then most of the best ones are. I have watched it numerous times and my enjoyment has not abated. Definitely worth the time.
