‘Dolores Claiborne’

There are occasional bursts of notable work in this uneven 1995 film. Kathy Bates, (pictured left with Jennifer Jason Leigh), gives a better performance than the film deserves as the grumpy and possibly homicidal title character. The longtime housekeeper of a rich, nasty socialite, Dolores becomes a suspect when her employer dies under puzzling circumstances. This brings Dolores’ high-strung, estranged daughter (Leigh) home for the first time in 15 years. The unpleasant reunion forces the two women to deal with an unsavory past. (Showtime Friday at 8 p.m.)