One of the best things to come out of movies is when you
watch one that involves family problems. The reason it's great is that suddenly
all of the problems you might have with your own family seem inconsequential
compared to those of the characters onscreen. The downside of this is that you
find yourself sitting there watching people with tremendous character issues
for 2 hours which in itself can be a bit daunting.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is about the Weston family. It opens with
patriarch Beverly Weston (Sam Shepherd) interviewing a possible live in nurse
to take care of his wife Violet (Meryl Streep). Violet is prone to throwing
tantrums and taking more meds than she needs when it comes to her cancer of the
mouth problem. Beverly then does what most of us would consider after having to
be involved with this family: he commits suicide. This brings back the entire
family for the funeral.
First off is Violet's sister and her husband, Mattie Fae
Aiken (Margo Martindale) and Charlie (Chris Cooper). Mattie is one of those
smiling faces and larger than life persons that capture a room but always have
a hidden sadness deep inside. Charlie is the friendliest person in the film,
always having a good word to say but not quite sure how he fits into this
group. Also on hand is daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), the one daughter who
stayed near home to help but who hides a secret that you won't see coming near
the end.
Coming home for the funeral is Barbara (Julia Roberts), her
father's favorite but a strong willed woman much like her mother. Barbara left
the confines of this family but has problems of her own at present with her
husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) having an affair which has led to their
separation. Along with them is their daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin), your
stereotypical troubled teen who finds fault in both her parents.
Next to arrive home is Karen (Juliette Lewis), the free
spirit of the three sisters. Karen has her own faults, moving from man to man
in the hopes of finding happiness and yet always picking the worst males
possible. Her latest is Steve (Dermot Mulrooney), a sports car driving pot
smoking wheeler dealer. If you don't see where his character is heading early
on then you're not paying attention. It is so over handed that to say its
obvious is in itself obvious.
The last member to arrive is cousin Little Charles (Benedict
Cumberbatch), son of Charlie and Mattie Fae. Little Charles is incredibly shy
and withdrawn but having lived his life around this family would have do that
to you. Constantly put down by his mother, loved by his father, Little Charles
also finds himself in a bit of a fix before the end of the film.
With the stage set we experience what is happening in this
household as each member arrives and eventually they return from the funeral
for the family dinner. Violet is the most vicious of mothers seen on screen in
some time. She cajoles and pokes at the wounds in each of her family members,
provoking them all in hopes of their returning her attacks. When they do the
most explosive moments of the film show themselves. Each one edges us closer
and closer to the moment when some will strike back, some will reveal
themselves to be more than anyone expected, some will realize they are more
like Violet than they had hopes and all secrets will be revealed.
Based on the stage play this movie unfold like one with
little time spent moving from location to location. Instead most of the film
plays out in the Weston home where bitter and damaging history has played out
in the past leaving everyone with scars they carry with them for life. The home
itself is a character, displaying the time worn walls that hold secrets of a
family that offered little love and much damage to one another. The film only
offers three sympathetic characters from start to finish: Charles, Little
Charles and Johnna, the nurse Beverly hired. The rest are all people you might
recognize as the family members you most try to avoid at reunions.
Roberts and Streep were both nominated for best actress this
past year but I don't think either should have qualified. It's another case of
those who seem the most flawed and loud get the attention while understated
performances are ignored. Had either shown a character here that you had some
sympathy for at some point it might have been different. As offered neither
grows or changes, instead simply retaining their dislikable selves.
If your idea of entertainment is listening to actresses yell
at one another, tossing out the GD expletive as if it were water and seeing a
family self destruct before your eyes then you'll want to watch this one
non-stop. If that's not your cup of tea then avoid it. Maybe you might want to
watch it once to feel good about your own family but my guess is it will be
tedious at best for everyone else except those trendy people who find depth in
destruction of the family.
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