Yet another Oscar nominated film filled the Robert Burns
Centre Film Theatre Film Club slot. This time it was a movie that was nominated
for two awards, one for Best Actress for Meryl Streep and the other was for
Best Supporting Actress for Julia Roberts. Introduced by Audrey Young August:
Osage County (2013) is an American produced black comedy drama which
not only boosts the acting talents of Streep (who I am not always keen on) as
the pill popping matriarch Violet Weston and Roberts as Barbara the eldest of
her three daughters, but an unbelievable all star ensemble cast which includes
Julianne Nicholson and Juliette Lewis as her other two daughters Ivy and Karen,
Ewan McGregor as Barbara’s estranged husband Bill with Abigail Breslin as there
14 year old daughter. Sam Shepard plays Violets husband Beverly while Margo
Martindale plays Violets sister Mattie Fae and Chris Cooper plays Mattie Fae’s
husband with their son little Charlie Aitken played by British actor Benedict
Cumberbatch.
Audrey explained that the movie had started life as a stage play,
which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for its author Tracy Letts who also adapted
it for the big screen. Letts had previously written screenplays from two more
of his stage plays Bugs (2006)[1]
and Killer Joe
(2012) both directed by William Friedkin but this time his work was in the
hands of John Wells. Wells is best known for his work in Television and has
only directed one feature film The
Company Men (2010) that starred Ben Affleck.
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| 'That' family dinner.... |
 |
| ....with Violet Weston at head of table! |
Set in
present day Pawhuska, Oklahoma in the very warm August of the title, Violets
family descend on the family home when her alcoholic husband goes missing. The
complete dysfunctional family are all verbally attacked by Violet, who is
supposed to have mouth cancer, which does not seem to affect her evil tongue. Meanwhile the rest of the family, sundry
partners and children indulge in some pretty horrendous character assassination
of each other. The family meal has to be heard to be believed!!
 |
| A wee family discussion. |
There are
two things that make this film particularly worth seeing, the first is the
calibre of the acting which is superb and Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee, who are
responsible for the casting, deserves an Oscar nomination all to them selves.
The second is the dialogue with Letts skilful lines exploding on the screen especially
in the capable hands of Streep and Julia Roberts in what’s got to be one of her
best roles since 2000’s Erin Brockovich
for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress.
The movie is in fact a character study ‘par excellence’ and in Movie
Ramble’s humble opinion one that’s worth a look.
[1] A ‘horror’ film starring Ashley Judd and
Michael Shannon, who incidentally played the same part
in the play. It probes the blurry lines between paranoia and nightmarish reality it’s an intense mind bending psychological thriller. A slow starter that builds up to a very disturbing finish. If you like a spooky type thriller, your love this one.
in the play. It probes the blurry lines between paranoia and nightmarish reality it’s an intense mind bending psychological thriller. A slow starter that builds up to a very disturbing finish. If you like a spooky type thriller, your love this one.
