Starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Ed Harris, Stephen Dillane, Claire Danes, Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Jeff Daniels, John C. Reilly, Miranda Richardson, Jack Rovello, Sophie Wyburd, Eileen Atkins. Directed by Stephen Daldry. Virginia Woolf (Kidman), in the suburb of Richmond near London in the early 1920s, is struggling to begin her novel Mrs. Dalloway, and to overcome the mental illness that threatens to engulf her. She lives with her well-meaning but perplexed husband (Dillane). Laura Brown (Moore), a young Los Angeles wife and mother in post-World War II, lives with her loving and decent husband (Reilly) and son (Rovello). She is just starting to read Mrs. Dalloway, and is so deeply affected by it that she begins to question the life she has chosen for herself. Clarissa Vaughan (Streep), living in contemporary New York City, becomes a modern-day mirror image of Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway as she plans what may be the final party for her friend and former lover, poet Richard (Harris). Her current lover Sally (Janney) and daughter Julia (Danes) are home to help. Virginia is miserable living in quiet, uneventful suburbia, and yearns to return to London, even at the risk of her mental health. On the surface, Laura is living the picture perfect life with a devoted husband, but cannot find happiness in the life she is living and is faced with a big decision. Clarissa also has a devoted mate, but as Richard suggests, she fills her life with trivial things and lots to do for others so she doesn't have to face living with herself. All three lives are intertwined with the Mrs. Dalloway character, and as we will find as the movie unfolds, with each other. The Hours is a thoughtful, expertly performed character study of three women in three different eras trying to find meaning in their lives. Each of the three women are living, on the surface, near-perfect lives. Each has a loving mate, and other people who love them. Each is well off financially. But all three are unhappy, and do not find their lives meaningful. The movie seamlessly jumps between the three eras and three stories, and often the jumps occur at points where we can see parallels between the lives of the three women. The pace is leisurely and some viewers will long for action, but this is not that kind of film. Virginia Woolf is battling insanity, but it almost seems it's depression she's facing, contemplating death both for her book, but also of the vibrant but stressful life she led in London and longs to lead there again. Laura Brown is also suffering from depression and guilt, as neither her family nor lifestyle satisfies her. Her outgoing and outwardly confident friend Kitty is childless, not able to have the one thing she wants. She expresses her envy of Laura, but that only depresses Laura more. She knows she should be happy and grateful for the life she has, but she isn't. The performances are first rate from top to bottom, starting with the three leads. Nicole Kidman, in heavy makeup, is unrecognizable and exceptional as the fragile and joyless Virginia Woolf. Once again, Julianne Moore is outstanding as the shy, guilt-ridden suburban housewife suffocating in the life she is living. Meryl Streep is solid as the big-city hostess who can't keep busy enough to hide the lack of meaning she is finding in her life. The supporting cast, especially Toni Collette, but also Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Claire Danes and John C. Reilly, are stellar. The Hours is a first-rate character drama, an excellent alternative to this week's kick-boxing kangaroos, and dumb and dumber comedies. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page