Review of August: Osage County (2013) by Warwick B — 19 Feb 2014

John Wells adaptation of Tracy Lett's award winning play which revolves around an Oklahoma family in deep crisis.

Meryl Streep stars as the sharp tongued, drug addicted matriarch, Violet, of the Weston family, who's not afraid to say whatever she thinks.

When her alcoholic poet husband mysteriously goes missing and then found dead Violet's daughters dutifully assemble - resentful eldest Barbara (Julia Roberts), dizzy Karen (Juliette Lewis) and stay at home spinster Ivy (Julianne Nicholson).

The starry cast also includes Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dermot Mulroney, Margo Martindale and Abigail Breslin.

The whole cast is very strong with the two leads, Streep and Roberts, deservedly both BAFTA and Oscar nominated.

The centre piece of this dark but wickedly funny drama is a post funeral dinner at which Violet carves up the family dishing out poisonous family truths and put downs. The near nonstop verbal abuse is both horribly funny, and just plain horrible. After all the shouting and arguing, little is gained but much is lost.

A difficult watch, powerful and very moving, that can leave you drained and quite down though this reviewer left the movie theatre feeling better about his own dysfunctional family.