The Hours ★★★½ 2002 (PG-13) In 1923 Virginia Woolf (Kidman) is recovering from a mental collapse while writing her novel "Mrs. Dalloway." In the 1950s, Laura Brown (Moore) is reading said novel, and in 2001, Clarissa (Streep) eerily embodies Woolf's character Dalloway. All three are facing questions of fulfillment in their lives and examining whether it's worth living, and all have issues with their own sexuality and the current men in their lives. Parallel gestures and words from era to era wonderfully enhance the illusion the three are indeed one. Many felt Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel would not translate well to the screen, but Hare's screenplay and Daldry's direction superbly present this quilt of tales. 114m/C VHS, DVD. US Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen (Dillon) Dillane, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Toni Collette, Eileen Atkins, Jack Rovello, Margo Martindale, Linda Bassett;
Director:
Stephen Daldry;
Writer:
David Hare;
Writer:
Seamus McGarvey;
Cameo:
Philip Glass. Oscars '02: Actress (Kidman); British Acad. '02: Actress (Kidman), Score; Golden Globes '03: Actress—Drama (Kidman), Film—Drama; L.A. Film Critics '02: Actress (Moore); Natl. Bd. of Review '02: Film; Writers Guild '02: Adapt. Screenplay.
