Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Sam Shepard
Directed by: John Wells
Screenplay by: Tracy Letts
Based on the play by Tracy Letts
Let me begin by stating that there really isn't much better casting than this. If you want to see a movie that has great acting performances across the board, you won't want to miss August: Osage County.
The Weston family is a very divided family. Everybody lives in different parts of the country, and they all have different views of the world. A crisis has occurred. The patriarch of the family, Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) has passed away. Just before his death, he hires a housekeeper to take care of his wife, Violet (Meryl Streep) who has mouth cancer, and a prescription drug abuse problem. Violet is often quite irrational and difficult to be around. You only have to watch the first few minutes of the film to know that. She has three daughters, Barbara (Julia Robets), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), and Karen (Juliette Lewis). They all have issues of their own to deal with on top of mourning the loss of their father, and it takes a toll on all three of them. There are problems all around the family, and within the family as a whole, and it's up to them (mostly Barbara) to figure out how to navigate this dysfunctional family.
August: Osage County is very much an actor's film. Many films have some pretty terrific all star casts, but none are quite like this film. There is not a single bad performance in this film and all of these actors are fantastic. In almost every movie I've seen with Meryl Streep, it's been clear that she has the best performance in the film, but in August: Osage County, it's honestly really hard to tell who has the best performance. The top two contenders in my mind are Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, both of whom are actresses who never disappoint. Roberts gives one of her best performances yet, while Streep gives a less memorable performance than I had hoped she would. While still an Oscar worthy performance, I fear it will not go down as one of Meryl Streep's best performances, even though she is totally awesome in her role. Chris Cooper is solid in his performance, Ewan McGregor is good in his, and the same goes for Dermot Mulroney. Sadly, Sam Shepard is in the movie only for a few minutes. He gets nowhere near enough screen time because his character dies so early on in the film.
I am less impressed with Benedict Cumberbatch's role. This is the second movie I have seen him in in which he plays an American from the South. He has some difficulty with the Southern accent, and you can hear it when he speaks in this film. That is the only problem I have with his performance because it is at times able to overpower his true acting ability. He is a fantastic actor and I know he will only become a better actor in the future. So, for those of you who are not too familiar with Benedict Cumberbatch's work, I suggest you do not start with this film.
Overall, if you want to see a recent film with great acting, look no further than August: Osage County. Tracy Letts adapts her play into a terrific screenplay, and thus building a great framework for these actors; all of whom deliver excellent performances. John Wells directs this film in a way that keeps us interested in a story, that can seem kind of boring on the surface, for the whole duration of the film. August: Osage County is a great use of two hours if you have the time to see it.
I give August: Osage County an A-.
Directed by: John Wells
Screenplay by: Tracy Letts
Based on the play by Tracy Letts
Let me begin by stating that there really isn't much better casting than this. If you want to see a movie that has great acting performances across the board, you won't want to miss August: Osage County.
The Weston family is a very divided family. Everybody lives in different parts of the country, and they all have different views of the world. A crisis has occurred. The patriarch of the family, Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) has passed away. Just before his death, he hires a housekeeper to take care of his wife, Violet (Meryl Streep) who has mouth cancer, and a prescription drug abuse problem. Violet is often quite irrational and difficult to be around. You only have to watch the first few minutes of the film to know that. She has three daughters, Barbara (Julia Robets), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), and Karen (Juliette Lewis). They all have issues of their own to deal with on top of mourning the loss of their father, and it takes a toll on all three of them. There are problems all around the family, and within the family as a whole, and it's up to them (mostly Barbara) to figure out how to navigate this dysfunctional family.
August: Osage County is very much an actor's film. Many films have some pretty terrific all star casts, but none are quite like this film. There is not a single bad performance in this film and all of these actors are fantastic. In almost every movie I've seen with Meryl Streep, it's been clear that she has the best performance in the film, but in August: Osage County, it's honestly really hard to tell who has the best performance. The top two contenders in my mind are Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, both of whom are actresses who never disappoint. Roberts gives one of her best performances yet, while Streep gives a less memorable performance than I had hoped she would. While still an Oscar worthy performance, I fear it will not go down as one of Meryl Streep's best performances, even though she is totally awesome in her role. Chris Cooper is solid in his performance, Ewan McGregor is good in his, and the same goes for Dermot Mulroney. Sadly, Sam Shepard is in the movie only for a few minutes. He gets nowhere near enough screen time because his character dies so early on in the film.
I am less impressed with Benedict Cumberbatch's role. This is the second movie I have seen him in in which he plays an American from the South. He has some difficulty with the Southern accent, and you can hear it when he speaks in this film. That is the only problem I have with his performance because it is at times able to overpower his true acting ability. He is a fantastic actor and I know he will only become a better actor in the future. So, for those of you who are not too familiar with Benedict Cumberbatch's work, I suggest you do not start with this film.
Overall, if you want to see a recent film with great acting, look no further than August: Osage County. Tracy Letts adapts her play into a terrific screenplay, and thus building a great framework for these actors; all of whom deliver excellent performances. John Wells directs this film in a way that keeps us interested in a story, that can seem kind of boring on the surface, for the whole duration of the film. August: Osage County is a great use of two hours if you have the time to see it.
I give August: Osage County an A-.
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