I can sympathise with Bette Midler's desire to extend her range, especially following her personal triumph in "Beaches". Throughout "Stella" she bears evidence of a thinking, intelligent actress, and she has my profound admiration for that. But good intentions do not make for a good movie, nor indeed for a good performance. As the redoubtable Stella Dallas - so memorably played by Barbara Stanwyck in 1937 - Midler gives an hysterically over detailed performance. Straining pathetically for heart throbs, she makes herself look more than a little ridiculous - and for a woman who started her career singing in a gay bath house, that's saying something.
But whilst I can't see the film as more than the standard mother-love soap opera, its good to see an actress daring to hang herself in public. Her performance doesn't really work, but the effort in itself is fascinating, and at times she comes so close to making us believe in the film.
With a stronger director and a better script this might have been something special. But Midler has had to carry it alone, and that's simply no way to treat the Divine one.
