Review of August: Osage County (2013) by Byron B — 24 Feb 2014

I've seen a community theater production of this play, and, yet, this cast still provides many shocks and surprises. I absolutely loved this ensemble cast! This is perhaps the best performance I've seen from Meryl Streep, a role she completely disappears into.

Violet Weston, the matriarch of the dysfunctional family, shows the glimmer of characteristics from each of her three daughters. Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, and Juliette Lewis play the three Weston sisters.

The title is the setting of the play. Its a blazing hot time of year in Oklahoma. The movie is still rather theatrical, and not very cinematic, but I don't count this as a huge failing. I've seen a lot of older films that are based on stage plays and I work in the theatre.

The words are most important, and the characters/relationships that are built by those words are what makes the play or movie stick with you. When I saw the poster with a family brawl, I thought it was overdone, but seeing how the tension builds to this moment, I completely bought the fight between oldest daughter Barbara (Roberts) and toxic mother Violet.

It may not be particularly unique or visually stunning, but the family drama is painfully hard-hitting.