Nice adaptation, but the script is based on an aweful one-sided writing, it starts off as promising drama when the lead character sends off her husband to his lover and is left to fend for herself and works hard to earn a living, then the writting takes a wrong turn after personal loss and business success instead of being happy she turns into an opposite of a kept woman and keeps a man instead and argues with her spoiled daughter and brat and tolerates this crap, mind you this is a third episode, hopefully she comes to her senses. it is watchable and enjoyable thanks to kate winslet performance but irritating at the same time. Ultimately if its supposed to be study of mother daughter relationship that tolerates a lot because of guilt and loss then ok, i get and would have saved five hrs having known...

I had high hopes for this mini series. After all it was an HBO production with a great cast. If only the writing was as such. The first 2 episodes were actually good enough (if not a little slow) to make me want to watch the rest. The last 3 episodes are a waste of time. The characters were never really developed. This young Veda was not the heinous spoiled brat that we had come to expect and understand in the Joan Crawford version. We never see Kate Winslet spoil young Veda or see how truly spoiled and ungrateful Veda was. Veda as a young adult went on some tirades and talked in circles & at times I was wondering what she was screaming about. She never really acted ashamed of her mother or her station in life as in the original version. Nor did she ever act like she hated her mother (no more than any other teenage girl), which was the driving force behind everything Mildred did. She did it for Veda's love and approval. This Veda has a career and fame. The ending just left me scratching my head.

I found this story to be surprisingly good. I understood how the mother only wanted to be able to please her daughter despite her lack of money, but I also understood the daughter's position. Yes, she was spoiled and extremely ungrateful, but I think what she really wanted was a mother who had a backbone, who she could be proud to call her mother. Each character plays a part that makes sense within the story, and I can't think of anything or anyone that seemed extraneous. The opening scene was shot especially well, but also throughout it was shot and edited well, not staying on one shot for too long like some other old films.

I finally got around to watching this mini-series after having it sitting on my DVR since it came out. Many reviewers thought this series too long, even boring at times. But I really enjoyed it, and the extra length of presentation, I thought, really allowed for more in-depth character development and details of the story. I knocked off two stars from my review for two reasons. First reason, the actors.I thought Kate Winslet was every bit as good as Joan Crawford in the 1945 movie. Guy Pearce was far better than Zachary Scott in the 1945 movie. But actors who were far superior in the 1945 version were Ann Blyth as Veda, Jack Carson as Wally, and Eve Arden as Ida. Far, far better. Evan Rachel Wood came nowhere close to Ann Blyth's great performance. The second reason I took off a star was the ending. The 1945 movie was far better. It was just wonderful to see Veda not getting what she wanted and with no one able to come to her rescue. I have the novel, but have not read it yet, so I will have to see how it really ends. One more comment is about the sex scenes and nudity. I thought the ones involving Mildred were very tastefully done, and frankly quite hot at times. It was refreshing not to see her in the sexiest underwear and perfect skinny figure. Just blah white bras and slips, far more realistic. The one nudity scene which I could have done without was that of Veda parading around after she bed Monty. I felt it totally unnecessary, pointless, and even embarrassing - and I'm no prude. I felt all the episodes worth watching and I would watch again.