Saturday, January 11, 2014

Saturday Three Line Movie Review


I have read reams and reams of southern gothic fiction, and August: Osage County fits right there squarely in that genre, with over the top drama, family dysfunction, alcoholism, incest and painful humor. That being said, I find southern gothic fiction somewhat tiresome, with the exception of Flannery O'Connor's short stories, and William Faulkner and Carson McCullers' novels, and this wasn't written by O'Connor, Faulkner or McCullers. I was also aware every single moment of this sweeping and somewhat entertaining film that Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep were in the cast and that they were ACTING.

6 comments:

  1. It was stunning when I saw it on Broadway years ago. Funny--I have no desire to see the movie.

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  2. I agree with Denise -- it was PHENOMENAL on Broadway. But from what I hear the play was shortened by about an hour to make the movie, and I suspect some of the subtleties were lost. Also, on stage, I saw it with unknowns (to me) in the lead roles, so I didn't bump up against the Streep/Roberts problem.

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  3. I agree that was very act-y -- but the secondary characters were so great. I loved Chris Cooper and Margo Martindale and Benedict Cumberbatch -- they seemed much less act-y and the person who played Ivy was also great. And there is something to be said for a movie that makes one's own family seem surprisingly functional.

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  4. That is my harshest critique of any movie- "I could see her acting!"
    There's a fine line, isn't there? And I hate it when it gets crossed.

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  5. You should read the play. Very well-written.

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  6. I could give you a three word review: I HATED IT.

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