Review of August: Osage County (2013) by Panta O — 18 Mar 2014

I cannot believe that anyone would categorize this under comedy! This dark drama written by Tracy Letts and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. The film is directed by John Wells and produced by George Clooney, Jean Doumanian, Grant Heslov, Steve Traxler, and Bob and Harvey Weinstein. I could not believe the great cast which included Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, and Benedict Cumberbatch, was all in one movie. Nothing but praise for the acting!

The title designates time and location of the story: an unusually hot August in a rural area outside Pawhuska, Oklahoma, during which Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard), a once-noted, alcoholic poet, interviews and hires a young native American woman Johnna (Misty Upham) as a live-in cook and caregiver for his strong-willed and contentious wife Violet (Meryl Streep), who is suffering from oral cancer and addiction to narcotics. Shortly after this, he disappears from the house, and Violet calls her sister and daughters for support. Her sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) arrives with husband Charles Aiken (Chris Cooper). Violet's youngest daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) is single and the only one living locally; Barbara (Julia Roberts), her oldest, who has inherited her mother's mean streak, arrives from Colorado with her husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and 14-year-old daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin). Barbara and Bill are separated and having marriage difficulties, but they put up a united front for Violet. Finally, middle daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis) arrives with the latest in a string of boyfriends, Steve Heidebrecht (Dermot Mulroney), a sleazy Florida businessman whom she introduces as her fiancé... when they are all together, the tragic news arrives!

I haven't seen the play on stage, but I had no complaints regarding the movie! It was with a wonderful dialogue, I mentioned acting already, very secure directing even if there was lack of bravery, nice exterior shots and amazing story! These are all the reasons why I decided to give it 80%.