Well-produced mini-series based on Dominick Dunne's bestseller, which was a thinly disguised version of the real-life drama revolving around the Skakel family, a branch of the Kennedy clan, and their son Michael, whose murder of a neighbor girl was kept secret for years. (Dunne's novel was influential in reopening the investigation, which lead to Skakel's arrest and subsequent trial.) The television version is a glossy, engrossing tale of how a conspiracy can succeed when wealth is involved, only to unravel when one participant's guilt becomes too heavy a burden to bear. Trimmed of many of Dunne's soap opera touches, the script is taut and well-acted by a fairly big-name cast. Definitely worth a viewing.
7 Reviews
sublime but effective mini series giving a snapshot of what the super wealthy and powerful can get away with
disdressed1228 July 2007
this is a compelling,engaging mini series based in part on a real life event and the aftermath.it's long,clocking in at over 2 and a half hours(without commercials)but it never once failed to maintain my interest.it's basically about how a young man of wealth and influence commits a horrendous crime,and because of the family influence and power,is able to cover it up for many years.i won't say what happens next.you'll have to watch it to find out.i'm pretty certain most people will find this movie not only fascinating and engrossing,but also illuminating.even though it's a fictional telling of an actual event with fictional characters,both the characters and the event mirror real life people of wealth and privilege and how normal laws and morals do not apply to them.so while you are being entertained,you also get a snapshot of the super wealthy and powerful as a bonus.this is really an ambitious production and it succeeds in what it sets out to do,in my mind.i wouldn't call it powerful exactly.it's more sublime and it just kind of sneaks up on you as it moves toward it conclusion.nevertheless,it is still very effective.the acting in this movie is very good from people you wouldn't necessarily associate with the kind of characters they play in this movie.Brian Dennehy plays the family patriarch and gives a commanding performance.Patrick Dempsey plays a childhood friend of the family.Sherilyn Finn plays one of the daughters of the clan.Edward Herman has a what amounts to an extended cameo,but is terrific in his scenes.but it is Bonnie Bedelia who really impressed me with her character.she isn't in the movie for very long and not until close to the end,but in my mind,she really stand out. i won't say what character she plays because i don't wan to give anything away,even the smallest detail.for me, "A Season in Purgatory" is a strong 8/10
one powerful movie
britchick2914 April 2002
i have just had the opportunity to view "season in purgatory" for the first time. let me just say that the author, dominick dunne, is as good as one gets, but the unfortunate outcome of the story is one that we all have to live with as in the words of the character, harrison burns. it is appalling that people like the bradleys are so smug that they fail to recognize "people like us", and that we don't have to put up with their acceptance.
It had a very familiar ring to it!
khdolan29 January 2001
I had seen this mini-series when it first aired, mostly because I am a big fan of Brian Dennehy, and very much enjoyed it. But in the last couple of years, there was a resurgence in the news story of the Kennedy nephew as a suspect in a murder of a young girl, and although I probably never paid attention to it when it first happened, the newer revelations involved having a man from a private school that the nephew attended, and he possibly had "inside info" as a confession or overheard conversation that the nephew was guilty. This school was in Maine, and the owner is also a high-profile owner of the local horse-race track, so now I paid attention to it, and thought this sounded like a movie I saw...Thinking back on it I remembered it was this movie, so I had to watch it again when it was aired on Lifetime this weekend, and now there is no way you could convince me that this novel wasn't based on the story...and the ironic thing is that in the movie the murder took place in a town called Scarborough Hills, and the racetrack the man in question owned is called Scarborough Downs. Had anyone else noticed these similarities?
Patrick Dempsy Shines
Osibi24 February 2005
I saw this superb series years ago and Patrick Dempsy left an indelible memory for an outstanding performance.i have never forgotten it and can recall virtually every scene in it.I wondered what had happened to this young actor whom I knew only from some teenage movie called(I think) The Wa Wa Kid. Then he was a bit parter in a really angst ridden TV series called Once and Again in which he alone stood out as a psychologically disturbed chap.I could not remember his surname to see what he is up to so tracked him through this series..and just HAD to drop a note to say what a cool actor he is and how much I regret not seeing more of him.Anyone who has no seen this long saga should give it a whirl ..it really is very very good.
How do I watch or order this movie?
sherricaroberts23 April 2020
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