Review of August: Osage County (2013) by Lucie H — 17 Jul 2014

I've always heard of how Meryl Streep is literally the best actress to ever live. I've wanted to see her movies but never really got the chance. So I heard about her performance in August: Osage County, she lead an all star cast of all kinds of talented people including one of my favorite actresses Julia Roberts. So I took the gamble and watched this film. My review now.

After one family member dies, the entire family gathers to the place where they were raised. And once more has to deal with the mother who raised them all, a complete monster.

How was August: Osage County? I'm gonna say that I couldn't stand this movie. I've watched some movies featuring some pretty screwed up people, Saturday Night Fever comes to mind and I hated that movie because of the characters. We have to deal with the most f*cked up family to ever be put on screen for two hours. Oh my god.

There is no doubt that acting was just fantastic. Meryl Streep can act, she was fantastic in the role she was playing. But her character, she was a complete bitch. I couldn't stand when she opened her mouth, she was just a despicable character. She gobbles down pills like no other and my god when she got on screen and opened her mouth I couldn't wait for her to get off screen. Then we have one of my favorites Julia Roberts playing one of her daughters who she constantly goes up against. Roberts does excellent job here, she wasn't as good as she was in Erin brockovich but she deserved her Oscar nomination like Streep.

Like I mentioned this features a huge cast full of highly talented actors and actresses but it begins to get overcrowded. There are so many screwed up people here, there is no character here who doesn't have something completely wrong with them, get to that in a moment. First some of them are miss casted like Ewan McGregor and Julianne Nicholson. But others like Chris Cooper and Abigail Breslin (the little girl from Zombieland) are well casted and provided some really good acting scenes within this awful movie. But Benedict Cumberbatch? has a role here. I love Cumberbatch, he's such a talented actor but this isn't his best. He doesn't have enough screen time to shine and I honestly feel he was one of the miss casted actors here, sorry but he was.

So the characters, holy crap. These are some of the most despicable people to ever be put on screen. I hated just about every person here. Meryl Streep's character is awful, always insulting her family and viciously attacking them for no reason! What the heck? Other than Chris Cooper, everyone was screwed up. No spoilers but having to spend all this time with these people was just awful. I got a headache and started to complain aloud. I had to leave! I left right in the middle of the movie and didn't come back for easily ten minutes!

August: Osage County tries to work as a black comedy. I didn't realize I hated that genre and I can't stand it, this is a perfect example of black comedy. There was nothing funny here! I will admit I chuckled once or twice and laughed once but all of the "humor" involves insults and attacking her own family. I know the point of the movie is to show you these awful people but don't tell me this is a comedy because this is an awful example of a comedy.

There was one scene I will be giving away here and that was the dinner scene when all of the family is seated and eating together. This was the most difficult scene to watch, here Streep is insulting and attacking her family like no other. Calling Cumberbatch's character a fail at life and telling Julia Robert's that she marriage failed and she deserved it blah blah blah. Here is when I left the movie because it was awful watching Streep play a bitch like that.

No one should watch August: Osage County, no one. I do not recommend this at all. Yes the acting is very impressive and maybe one chuckle involving Robert's yelling at Streep to "eat the f*cking fish!" but other than that? Just like I said with Saturday Night Fever, is an ugly, offense and despicable characters doing awful things.

I give August: Osage County an F.