Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts
Directed by John Wells
If you think your family has problems, wait until you get a load of the truly dysfunctional bunch of characters in the dark and frequently hilarious August: Osage County.
Boasting a stellar cast including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor and Margo Martindale, director John Wells had the difficult task of paring down the original Tracy Letts play; Letts is also credited with adapting the screenplay for the film version. For the most part, Wells and Letts do a commendable job of condensing the salient points of the southern sizzler, which is chock full of boozing, pill popping, self-loathing, infidelity and even a sprinkling of racism.
A family crisis brings three sisters (Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Julianne Nicholson) back to the Oklahoma home they grew up in to contend with their unstable mother Violet, played wonderfully by Streep. It should be noted that everyone is in top form here, particularly Martindale who nearly steals the show, while Chris Cooper shines in his best role in years.
The movies brilliant script cracks and pops along at a brisk pace with enough awkward and cringe-worthy humour to make Larry David blush. Everything culminates like a powder keg in an explosive dinner scene and its never been so much fun to watch Julia Roberts drop F-bombs. It may not tie up all the loose ends but August: Osage County provides its formidable cast with the chance to shine in an era when script can so often be an afterthought.
