Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tracy Letts, and adapted to the screen by the same, the film is directed by John Wells and stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Dylan McDermott, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale, and Ewan McGregor. Set in Osage County, Oklahoma, the film takes a look at the complicated relationships within a dysfunctional family.When Weston family patriarch Beverly (Sam Shepard) commits suicide by drowning, his widow, the drug-addicted cancer patient Violet (Streep), beckons for a family reunion. Tensions run high as family members whose paths have diverged come together to confront their grievances. The greatest aspect of this film is the acting. Both the leads and the supporting cast are really great. Meryl Streep is absolutely phenomenal (as always; we've come to expect as much from her), in a hopefully Oscar-nominated (even Oscar-worthy) turn as the troubled matriarch. Julia Roberts is also excellent as one of her daughters, Barbara, whose facing her own crisis within her family unit. The acting, however, is one of the only positives of this film. I liked the intent of the film -- examining a family in a single environment, in the span of only a few days -- but it was simply too unrealistic. Everything that could possibly be wrong in a family was wrong with the Westons: there was adultery, betrayal, addiction, terminal illness, incest, suicide, pedophillia....just absolutely everything. It was too overwhelming, and detracted from what could have been a really powerful story. Maybe it works better as a play, and I hope to get a chance to see it someday.While it is not a great film, it is worth watching for the performances.
Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B-
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