Review of Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) by Barbara N — 02 Dec 2009

 .

Review by Barbara Nyheim.

Fried Green Tomatoes was released in December 1991, and became a sleeper hit. It did not receive any awards but was nominated for many British Academy Awards, U.S. Academy Awards and Golden Globes. The movie is based on Fannie Flagg's novel, ?Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café? and is a frame story (a story within a story). Ms. Flagg is a born storyteller with a real knack for making her characters come alive through vivid anecdotes.

The movie shifts back and forth, blending the past and present lives of four women in two different time periods. The four main characters are female and the actresses that portray them are excellent in their roles, eliciting our laughter and tears. Representing present day we have Jessica Tandy as Ninny Threadgoode and Kathy Bates as Evelyn Couch. Representing the past we have Mary Stuart Masterson as Idgie Threadgoode, and Mary Louise Parker as Ruth Jamison.

Ninny is an energetic octogenarian in denial about being a permanent resident of a nursing home who happily intrudes into the life of Evelyn Couch ? a repressed, unhappy, and overweight southern housewife. Without any prompting, Ninny begins regaling Evelyn with tales of two friends who lived in Georgia in the 1920s during the Great Depression, Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison. Idgie and Ruth are as different as night and day, as are Ninny and Evelyn but for different reasons. Idgie is a tomboyish and independent-minded young woman suffering with the tragic loss of a beloved brother who bonds with that brother?s romantic interest, the strait-laced, gentile and very proper Ruth. Together they rally and form an indestructible bond that sees them through life?s hurdles.

The major theme of the movie in both the frame and the inside story is about the importance of friendship and loyalty. Together Idgie and Ruth rally and form an indestructible bond that sees them through life?s hurdles. As a result of Ninny?s stories and understanding, Evelyn is inspired to become more assertive and regain control of her life. And in turn, Evelyn then rescues Ninny from a life of loneliness. Each of the stories has their own secondary theme as well. Self-esteem is addressed in the frame story while racism is the underlying theme in the inside story.

We loved it when bad guy Frank Bennett gets his just desserts and ?Towanda? rams the car (10x) of the snooty young girls, but the movie isn?t all sweet and perfect. It addresses some real issues from spousal abuse and racism to aging and loneliness and the picture isn?t always as perfect as we would like it to be. Overall though, it?s a feel-good movie and I highly recommend it for viewing and reviewing.