Divinos Secretos

This film is really a celebration of female relationships between; mothers and daughters, between girl friends and between wife and husband. There are numerous flash backs, but the film flows at a good pace that it is not a distraction at all.

The storyline is very light hearted to begin with, but gets darker. Ashley Judd does a great performance as an Alcohol addicted mother and Ellen Burstyn is also good as the older character, played by Ashley Judd. The humour is funny enough and does not go overboard. See this film with your girl friends, and make sure you bring a box of Kleenex with you. A two thumbs up.

`The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' is about a mother/daughter conflict and then friends come to the rescue. A simple plot about some of our society's unimaginably complex unwritten and unspoken rules.

Ya-Ya is a wonderful cinematic experience. The acting and dialog are absolutely first rate and every major role is virtually perfect. They will be throwing darts at the cast credits to pick award winners. The movie is worth the price of admission just to see Maggie Smith perform even when she has no dialogue.

The movie's most remarkable aspect is what happens when it is viewed through a testosterone filter. It is illuminating to look at the IMDB voting demographics. One quarter of the males voting on this movie have given it a `1' out of 10 while only about 3% of the females gave it a `1'. Considering that there always appears to be a 3-5% background noise on any voting this an astounding gender discrepancy. As a 56 year old male it has only been in the last decade that I've had any inkling of the intricacies of female interactive dynamics. I suspect that puts me ahead of the curve as far as males go. As a society we indoctrinate our young females into the issues of the emotional power struggle, the dynamics of the `pecking order', and day-to-day collegial help and support at a level far removed from that which most males experience. I won't argue whether or not this is sexist but I believe the observation to be valid. This movie deals with these issues and, as such, I suspect the fundamental substance of the movie is illusive for much of the male audience.

At its heart this is not a chick movie. A `chick movie' is about things that female moviegoers like. This movie is about what it is to be raised a female in our society. Ya Ya 9/10

Please! Not another girl-gang movie about nothing. Poorly acted, poorly cast and poorly written. The main characters in this movie are selfish, self-centered and hateful. The movie is has no humor what-so-ever and the only men are, as usual with this type of movie, lacking a backbone. This movie can not be compared to Steel Magnolias. The story had so many holes - it never addressed exactly what the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was; never told us what was in 'the book'; never really gave a good explanation why Vivi was so rotten, even after the 'recovery'; left Sidda's siblings in the flashbacks. The casting was so bad - none of the 'actresses' could manage the southern accents; the age difference between Vivi and Sidda was extremely noticeable; and why spend the money on the men in the movie when they could have just hired manequins to play the parts. They would have been more lively and animated. Isn't the man-bashing phase in our society over yet? Don't bother with this trash.

After all the hype and comparisons to 'Steel Magnolias', 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', sadly, did not do much box office, which was a shame, as it is a more intimate, realistic vision of women and life-long friendships than the glossier 'Magnolias'.

Four girl friends in Louisiana create a secret sisterhood in 1937, swearing eternal devotion to each other, and they remain best friends through all the triumphs and tragedies in their lives. When the daughter of one of them (Sandra Bullock), a successful playright, has an interview with Time magazine in which she condemns her mother's impact on her life, the mother (Ellen Burstyn, who is superb!) goes ballistic, cutting the daughter out of her life, totally. In charges the other members of the Sisterhood, kidnapping Bullock, and attempting to make things right!

The film then jumps back and forth in time, with Ashley Judd playing the younger Burstyn. She has a lot of happy adventures with her Ya-Ya sisters, but also has to deal with racism, a jealous religious zealot of a mother, an overly loving father (David Rasche, breaking free of his usual comic roles), a true love who dies in WWII, and a family with a guy she 'settles' for (played, in present day, by the wonderful James Garner). There is also a dark secret that is the core of the mother/daughter alienation, which must be dealt with in order for the rift between Bullock and Burstyn to heal (No, I will NOT give it away!)

If you do the math about the years covered, you realize the present-day story SHOULD be taking place in the seventies, at the latest, but this doesn't hurt the overall effectiveness of the picture. As the other present-day sisters, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, and (especially) Maggie Smith are WONDERFUL, as is Angus MacFadyen, as Bullock's sympathetic and likable fiance.

While this is unabashedly a 'chick flick', something I really liked was that they DIDN'T fall back on that old chestnut of somebody dying to serve as a convenient catalyst for change and the healing process. And the dialog is full of wickedly hilarious one-liners about men, alcohol, friendship, and growing old!

Don't miss this gem!

My wife loves this film. This is a woman whose favorite films include any woman whose last name is Hepburn. Yes, she is a romanticist from the past — understandable since she has a Ph.D. in medieval history.

Because she's played the film enough times, I've had the opportunity to watch it both in its entirety and in bits and pieces. And there's really a lot to it that most viewers are missing.

Why?

I think it's because it grows on you. The parts are all incredibly well played — certainly expected of mature actors like Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan and Ellen Burstyn. But here even Sandra Bullock is enticing not just in her looks but in her expression of her character.

Some films you like right out of the gate. We all know which ones they are. Others have to grow on you. And unfortunately too many films are never given a second chance. YA-YA SISTERHOOD is one.

Watching it a second or third time is like sitting around a campfire and telling the same story over for the umpteenth time. We've all heard it before, but we still want to hear it again.

For those who have dissed this film, give it another chance. Perhaps when you're older. Perhaps when you're in a romantic mood. Perhaps when you're tired of stupid comedies, disgusting horror films and over-the-top action thrillers. Then I'm sure you'll see it in a different light and think, "Well maybe YA-YA SISTERHOOD is indeed a little hidden gem."