99 Words About ‘Olive Kitteridge’
OLIVE KITTERIDGE: Richard Jenkins, Frances McDormand. (courtesy Jojo Whilden)
There’s something endearingly square about “Olive Kitteridge” (9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, HBO).
Its characters collapse into giggling fits over tales of notes placed in shoes and gloves filled with jelly beans. But underneath lies a darkness tinged with mental illness.
Based on Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the four-hour event spans 25 years in the life of stern Maine teacher Olive (Frances McDormand) and her loving, patient husband (Richard Jenkins).
While Olive can be almost unwatchably unpleasant, there’s terrific acting all around.
Those who stick with it will be rewarded with 15 minutes of the great Bill Murray.
— CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE
