I have to confess that I have never seen the 1937 movie "Stella Dallas", which this movie is a remake of. However, after seeing this remake, I'm willing to accept the reports that the original movie is a lot better than this remake. There are a lot of things in this remake that while I can believe would work in a 1937 environment, seem very outdated seen today, or even back in 1990 when the movie was first released, such as the no longer shocking subject of single motherhood. But the dated story elements are just one problem with this movie. Though the movie runs 109 minutes, there are big sections of the movie where things seem very rushed and incomplete; I could not get a real feeling of the bond between mother and daughter, mother and her best male friend (played by John Goodman), or any other relationship. The movie feels like a cinematic Cliff's Note telling of what might have worked in a miniseries. The movie is well acted, I guess, but great performances never manage to hide story and character flaws in a screenplay.

The "Stanwyck version" is not, as other reviewers seems to believe, the "orginal" and to my mind the performance in the genuinely original (1925) version by Belle Bennett is quite the best. The problems with Midler's performance have been well rehearsed but there are serious problems too with Stanwyck's performance. The 1937 version tracks the original almost exactly (the only real difference obviously being sound)losing some significant detail but without really improving it in any way. Stanwyck is miscast. Her "vulgarity" comes and goes in a totally illogical manner and when she suddenly converts herself for no obvious reason into some sort of clown towards the end of the film, it doesn't really make any sense. Bennett's performance builds the character much more consistently and convincingly. The daughter too is far less saccharine and far more believable than in the 1937 version. The original is also far more frank in confronting the class issue which is somewhat air-brushed in the 1937 version. Arguably Midler returns to something closer to the original but I do not think her performance as good as Bennett's.

Very touching and heartbreaking drama about relationships of mother and daughter and if you are parent you will know what I mean after watching. One of my favorite actress Bette Midler is really diverse actress. She is very brilliantly in a comedy and terrific in a drama. I saw all her films and "Stella" I like most. It's very vital story about us and our relation to our parents. This film make you wonder about this. I was in tears after watching "Stella". It's true. That's very emotional and prettily film with the right thoughts that very important to us all today. People are need of such movies and I sad what in theaters you can't to see similar stories now, because in the majority, the modern films are very lifeless and unfeeling, in my opinion. It's regrettable.

The original with Barbara Stanwyk is saved only by Stanwyk's performance. The story and the other performances are too sickeningly sweet and the film itself is too dated to be really enjoyed today. Bette Midler's version is much more interesting. She is Stella Claire, an independent, free-spirited single woman who gets pregnant and refuses help from her boyfriend (Stephen Collins) or her friend (John Goodman in an underrated performance). She raises her daughter Jenny played so sweetly by Trini Alvarado and then comes to the conclusion that Jenny's father can do better for her and ultimately makes a life-altering decision. Through out the film, there are plenty of laughs, tears and memorable moments mostly between Midler and Alvarado. Marsha Mason co-stars as Jenny's would-be stepmother, who though wealthy turns out to be a very good influence on her. If you like Midler, Goodman or just good films with plenty of emotion you'll enjoy Bette Midler's version of STELLA.