Three sisters come home after a long time to meet their dysfunctional mother and her supportive sister after a distressing event. Old family feuds, startling secrets, and things that were swept under carpet are brought in the open again.
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Language:
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English
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Running Time:
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121 min
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Rating:
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R
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Release date:
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27 December 2013
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Directed by:
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John Wells
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Produced by:
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George Clooney
Jean Doumanian
Grant Heslov
Steve Traxler
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Written by:
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Tracy Letts
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Starring:
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Meryl Streep
Julia Roberts
Ewan McGregor
Chris Cooper
Abigail Breslin
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Music by:
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Gustavo Santaolalla
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Shot by:
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Adriano Goldman
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Editing by:
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Stephen Mirrione
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Distributed by:
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The Weinstein Company
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What’s Hot
- Meryl Streep is at her scenario-chewing best as Violet Weston – the drug addicted mother with a bad childhood, spitting venom onscreen. She is strong willed, matter-of-factly, manipulative & rude in her words and behavior. But at the end the audience does empathize with her.
- Julia Roberts as her elder daughter is the right match for the grand dame opposite her. It’s a great comeback for her after playing loads and loads of goodie characters.
- Of the other supporting actors that deserve a mention, Julianne Nicholson shines with her natural and simplistic mannerisms, playing the youngest daughter who ‘had’ to take care of her mother. Margo Martindale as Violet’s sister Mattie Fae and Chris Cooper as her husband do a great job and really impress with their acting.
- There are a couple of set pieces which are a delight to watch and have been very well directed by John Wells. The family dinner sequence which starts very slowly but gradually ramps up into a tense situation with verbal abuses and ends with a literal fist fight is a very good example. Extraordinary acting all through!
- The cinematography is impressive – giving ample space to highlight the acting. The arid desert-like Osage county is captured in a way that portrays the arid mindscapes of the involved people. The music by Gustavo Santaolalla stands out at times, but this wouldn’t be one of his best works.
- The script by Tracy Letts based on his Pulitzer award winning play of the same name is great and provides the fodder for the actors to elevate it. It smartly positions every character at its place and provides valid reasoning for their actions.
What’s Not
- The plot and the film, focused entirely on drama occurring within a household, might put off audiences looking for something less dramatic and subtle.
- There is not much of screen-space and focus for Benedict Cumberbatch and Abigail Breslin in the film and their talents seem wasted in such teeny tiny roles.
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Verdict
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