Tuesday, November 18, 2014

August: Osage County

Directed by John Wells.
2013. Rated R, 121 minutes.
Cast:
Meryl Streep
Julia Roberts
Ewan McGregor
Benedict Cumberbatch
Chris Cooper
Abigail Breslin
Juliette Lewis
Margo Martindale
Dermot Mulroney
Julianne Nicholson
Sam Shepard
Misty Upham

Beverly (Shepard) is a man at the end of his wits. He's been married to Violet (Streep) forever and ever. She's a mean old biddy who has been stricken with mouth cancer, but keeps sucking down cigarettes. She medicates herself with as many pain killers as she can get her hands on. He prefers to drink away his pain. One day, Beverly goes out and doesn't come home. After a few days, Violet calls everyone in the family she can get a hold of to help her solve the mystery and the whole dysfunctional clan shows up. Her daughter Ivy (Nicholson) appears first, since she lives in the area. Then, in some order I can't exactly recall, the house fills up with up with people. There's daughter Barbara (Roberts), along with her husband Bill (McGregor), and their daughter Jean (Breslin). Daughter Karen (Lewis) arrives with "this year's man," Steve (Mulroney). Violet's loud sister Mattie Fae (Martindale) rumbles in, dragging her hubby Charles (Casper) with her. At some point, later on, Mattie Fae's and Charles' son Little Charles (Cumberbatch) joins the fray. Every one of these people has serious issues with themselves and each other. You know what that means. Oscar baiting ensues.

In seemingly trying to garner accolades for its cast, August: Osage County comes off more as a collection of clips worthy of awards ceremonies than the gripping drama it impersonates. The actors take turns showcasing their chops. More accurately, headliners Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts take lots of turns while the others get a scene or two apiece. Luckily, it's an amazing cast. Just about everyone is at their fiery best. Every line is delivered with passion and conviction.

Playing our main protagonist, Streep inhabits her role so fully, it's scary. She makes the cigarette between her fingers and the cloud of smoke swirling around her head while puffs of it punctuate her speech integral parts of Violet's persona. She's clearly a fire-breathing dragon once she gets riled up. While Streep is constantly on the attack, Roberts is busy counter-punching. A strong presence in her own right, she never withers beneath her co-star's massive light. Instead, she fires back in verbally violent fashion, commanding the screen as she does.


As stated, the rest of the players all knock it out the park when they step up to the plate. Margo Martindale provides the thunder to Streep's lightning. she is appropriately loud and angry. The difference is where Streep is sinking her fangs into everyone in sight, Martindale is usually trying to make someone do something. As her husband, Cooper fares best amongst the men in the cast. It's not that anyone is bad. Even the weakest links in the cast, either Nicholson or Breslin, are both very good. Ladies and gentlemen, when the masters decide to chew scenery, this is how they do it.

That I've spent most of my review to this point gushing over the acting begs the question 'why don't I love this movie?' The answer lies in something I snuck in a little earlier. It plays like a collection of clips. Due to the talent on display, they are immensely watchable. However, what links them just feels like a writer purposely throwing fuel on various fires to create melodrama. Between every rant, another problem is added to the mix until it all becomes too much for the movie to bear. Eventually, I just rolled my eyes as the next thing always and inevitably happens. In that way, it's very Tyler Perry-esque. We get one earth-shattering revelation after another until the film collapses beneath its own weight. What we're left with is a movie that is much less than the sum of its parts.

10 comments:

  1. Great review Dell! I pretty much feel the same way, it's got great moments but overall it's not as amazing as the cast. I like what you said about Margo Martindale, she's such an underrated performer and I actually think she's VERY good and memorable here. I also like seeing Benedict Cumberbatch playing someone very different than what I'm used to seeing him by this point.

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    1. Thanks! Martindale is indeed underrated. She's been fantastic in everything I've seen her in. Seeing BC playing a goofy character was also fun. Too bad the movie didn't quite gel.

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  2. This film will stick in my mind for quite some time, because when you take the plot in its simplest form, nearly nothing happens, and yet the amazing performances by the huge cast keep the interest going from start to finish. I think I enjoyed this a little more than you did, but I can't argue with your points :)
    - Allie

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    1. No doubt the cast was great. There's not a bad performance to be found. Thanks.

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  3. A ahsmae when such a big talented cast doesn't benefit the film.

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    1. To be honest I think its the other way around. They benefitted the film, but it didn't benefit them.

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  4. Yeah wasn't a big fan of that one either, I agree about Cooper being the best, for me he was best in the cast actually but I also loved Cumberbatch who I thought stole the show in his scenes

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    1. Yeah, seeing Cumberbatch so far against type was fun. Cooper was great, just not given enough to do for me to say he was the best in the entire cast.

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  5. I hate this movie! Ugh. You are also very on point when you said the film feels like a collection of Oscar bait clips rather than a coherent film. While Streep and Roberts were the ones nominated, I thought Julianne Nicholson and Margo Martindale were better than they were. Streep I felt chewed the scenery like it was nobody's business. A little nuance ain't never hurt nobody. Same goes for this film. I thought American Hustle, another ensemble piece, was a bit of a mess, but it's at least an entertaining mess.

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    1. Sorry I'm so late with the reply, but glad to see that we're basically on the same page.

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