August: Osage County
- Director: John Wells
- Writer: Tracy Letts
- Producer: George Clooney; Celia D. Costas
CGiii Comment
Possibly, one of the most unpleasant films ever made.
Billed as a comedy?!? Some people certainly have the strangest senses of humour.
There are 2 funny lines and one potentially funny scene. Otherwise, this is a dark trip into familial dysfunction...dark being the operative word, both in lighting and subject matter.
The direction fails to transform this [inexplicable] multi-award winning stage play into a discernible, coherent film...theatrical amplitude (i.e. over-the-top performances) rarely works on screen. Here, you get the distinct feeling of lines being crossed...it's all just a little too much...with the constant explosive revelations...there's no time to catch your breath.
Yes, the acting is almost faultless - although Mr McGregor is clearly out of his depth. Streep's performance is vicious as the matriarch, comparable to Bette Davis in The Anniversary - but, alas, without the camp humour...if she had actually been funny (and vile), then this film would have flown off the screen. Unfortunately, she's just vile.
In life, there are rarely resolutions - the same goes for this draining film. You will feel exhausted and thankful that this was just a movie...[hopefully] far removed from your own personal situation.
Human existence has never looked so bleak.
A grossly unenjoyable experience.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) has cancer and a propensity for pills and alcohol. She's a difficult woman to deal with and her husband has finally had enough. Violet's family gathers including youngest daughter Ivy, middle daughter Karen (with her new fiancé), eldest daughter Barbara (with her separated husband and teenage daughter), and her sister Mattie Fae (with her husband and son in tow). A family tragedy causes tensions to run high and secrets to come out. The Weston women will be forced to examine themselves and their lives whether they want to or not. Welcome to Osage County, Oklahoma in the sweltering heat of August.
Cast & Characters
Meryl Streep as Violet Weston;
Julia Roberts as Barbara Weston;
Chris Cooper as Charlie Aiken;
Ewan McGregor as Bill Fordham;
Margo Martindale as Mattie Fae Aiken;
Sam Shepard as Beverly Weston;
Dermot Mulroney as Steve Huberbrecht;
Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston;
Juliette Lewis as Karen Weston;
Abigail Breslin as Jean Fordham