Marie

Marie is a single parent who supports her three kids and invalid mum through college, and braves the medical establishment in diagnosing her youngest child's illness; then, zooming to speedy prominence as chairwoman of the Tennessee parole board, she single-handedly purges the body politic of the sweaty parasites in its bosom. And it's all true. Blessed are the pure in heart, but also deadly dull. Spacek is competent as her usual embattled heroine, but Marie could use a few warts, and as hot political exposés go, local corruption in Tennessee seems of less than pressing concern. However, Donaldson directs with fluid, docudramatic urgency, and there are further compensations in the support performances.